Trust Part Two
by july's lilly
Summary: Sequel to Trust. Takes place after season one. The newest Librarians are celebrating their first solo mission and are becoming more confident in their skills. Jake and Cassandra's budding relationship is tested and an old enemy resurfaces.
1. Chapter 1

The newly graduated Librarians were celebrating their first successful mission on their own at the café in Lima Ezekiel told them about.

"This little guy will make a nice addition to the Library don't you think?" He tapped the burlap sack that held a small statue of made from the bark of the Lupuna tree.

"As long as it stays in the dark we'll be ok and the people of Ah Ciliz can rest easy again." Jake took the bag and tightened the knot.

The Lupuna tree, was considered a sacred tree in the Amazon rainforest and villagers revered them believing the Lupuna to be inhabited by protective spirits. A hundred years ago workers from the Miller Logging Company aware of the legend did their best to avoid the tree when cutting lumber but one day they cut down the wrong tree.

Although they apologized for their mistake, an angry tribal chieftain made a totem from scraps of the tree and cursed them. Soon the workers met with accidents and injuries. The chieftain emboldened by his newfound power used it to threaten his own people and they feared the growing hold he had over them. When the son of the logging company's owner was killed in one accident, his father, Douglas Miller blamed the chieftain and wanted to avenge his death.

The village elders desperate to stop their once holy man and friend, told the owner where he lived. Mr. Miller confronted the chieftain when he was walking in the forest one day. He laughed at him and began to recite the spell to order the totem to kill him. Mr. Miller shot him before he could finish. He left the chieftain to die and as he lay dying, his now evil spirit, his anger and his rage transferred into the totem. Its powers grew great while it remained in the sun and the totem was reining havoc on the people of the village in retaliation for their betrayal.

The tribal elders tried to burn it, but the totem remained unharmed. They tried to chop it in pieces, but again it remained unharmed. They decided to bury it deep in the ground. Their plan worked, stripping it of its power and bringing peace to the village once again.

It was found several weeks ago by a group of college anthropology students on their first excavation tour and as the sun warmed it, the totem began its reign of terror again.

"That was kind of fun." Cassandra said. The two men glared at her.

"If you mean fun as in almost being killed by lightening bolts directed right at us and then almost being crushed by a giant stone then yeah, that sounds like fun." Ezekiel shook his head. "I really need to take a break, do something less stressful, like steal the Hope Diamond."

Jake chuckled. "It was pretty fun seeing you dangling from the top of that cave. I think the bats liked you."

"Ha, ha…" he gave him a smirk and got up to find their waitress.

Jake turned to Cassandra. "It wasn't fun almost losing you when the totem tried to send you off the mountain." He took her hand and kissed it. "You need to be more careful."

"It's part of the job we signed on to." She reminded him. "Plus I needed to be in the exact spot where it was created to trap it."

"I know, but you could have let me be the bait."

"Jake, if you are going to try and keep me out of harm's way on every mission, we are going to have serious problems." She crossed her arms and looked away from him, her brow furrowed and mouth clenched.

"No I'm not…"

"I suppose you think I can't do the job." She felt her head ache but she resisted the urge to rub her forehead so he wouldn't ask her what was wrong and give him more ammunition.

"It's not that, please look at me sweetheart."

She turned and faced him. Damn it, he had that crinkly look in his eyes again, the one that made her melt. He reached over and kissed her.

"You are strong enough and brave enough and smart enough, you don't have to prove anything to me anymore. I trust you with everything I have, but you need to trust us, we three are a team now." She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I have to admit the thief is doing ok, but don't tell him I said that." He added making her giggle. Ezekiel came back to their table, a lovely young woman with long shiny black hair and large brown eyes was following closely behind.

"Well guys, I'll see you back at the Library. Carlita here is from Ah Ciliz and she and her family want to thank me for saving her village." Jake was tempted to correct him, but he refrained. He would make him pay for it later.

"Fine, we're leaving in a few minutes, so we'll take the totem with us then."

"Yeah, sure…" he paid no attention to him or Cassandra as he took Carlita's hand and let her lead him away.

Back at the Library, Jenkins found a dark container and locked it inside. He then took it to the back and placed it in the restricted section.

"So how was it and where is Ezekiel?" Col. Baird asked.

"It went well." Cassandra answered. "He stayed behind for a bit. Apparently he has some fans."

Flynn and Baird were preparing to go on their own adventure. He was stuffing maps into a backpack and she was reading about the artifact they were looking for.

Someone was pulling off amazing bank robberies all over the world in broad daylight without anyone seeing the thief. Flynn suspected it was the ring of Gyges which gave its owner the power of invisibility. "This going to be tricky." Flynn said as Jenkins got the door ready.

"You know you still owe me a real date." Baird said to him as they prepared to go.

"I know, I know…" and soon they were gone.

"Three down, two to go." Jenkins said staring at them as he went back to his workroom.

"So what do you want to do now?" Cassandra started to open her clippings book. Jake stopped her. "What's wrong?"

"I want to visit the family. Make sure every one is ok. It's been almost three months. I was hoping you would come with me." Jake said. She hesitated.

"You don't want to come?" he asked.

"It's not that, I'd love to see your family again especially Emma…"

"But?"

"I want to try a mission on my own." Jake was silent.

"You don't think I can?"

"No of course not, I know you can Cassie." She opened her book and smiled. "You're in luck I'll be nearby in Texas, so I can pop over when I am done."

He watched her as she got some things together she would need, saying little, resisting the urge to tell her he would go with her. He set the door for her. She kissed his cheek and waved goodbye as she walked through.

"See you soon, love you…"


	2. Chapter 2

Jake stared at the door for a few minutes after she left. He walked to the workroom and sat down at the end of the table remaining still and quiet. Jenkins was startled when he looked up and saw him sitting there.

"Mr. Stone why are you still here? Where is Miss Cillian?"

"She left, wanted to do a mission on her own."

"I see." He saw the concerned look on his face. "You know, she is qualified. The Library chose her for a reason."

"I know. It's just…" His voice trailed off as he looked around the room.

"Just what?"

"Her headaches are becoming more frequent. She tries to hide it but I know."

"And you are worried."

Jake nodded. "I'm thinking there must be an artifact that can cure her." Jenkins put down his tools. He pulled a book out from the shelf and sat next to him.

"Magic is a tricky thing. Many magical artifacts are imbued with human shortcomings making them unstable. Take the totem you brought back. The spirit of the Lupuna tree was benevolent, but in the hands of an evil man, it turned into something it was never meant to be. That is why the Library exists, to keep that kind of power from the wrong hands."

"But magic in the right hands works. Flynn was saved by magic, so was Baird, and my niece." Jake argued.

"That was different. Magic used to heal a wound is not as profound as magic needed to heal something as serious as what Miss Cillian has."

"I don't see how, they were dying and magic saved them."

"Her tumor is part of who she is. Right, wrong, good, bad. Using an artifact or magic potion or spell to cure her comes with many risks and often times a high cost." He opened the book. "This is a record of all the artifacts with healing properties in the Library. With the exception of the late Excalibur they all have side effects that can cause more harm than good. In trying to find a cure for Miss Cillian, you may destroy more than what you bargained for. Tread lightly." He warned.

"So what am I supposed to do? Watch her suffer?" Jake pulled at his hair as he started to read some of the entries.

"No, Mr. Stone. There is one kind of magic that is pure and comes from a place of sacrifice and selflessness. Love is the purest form of magic, it can overcome many adversities." Jenkins got up to leave and make some tea. He patted Jake on the shoulder. "Trust me."

"You speak like someone with experience." Jake said to him as he looked up from the book. He pointed to an entry with a large X next to it. "The Elixir of Esmeralda. Says here you brought it to the Library in... 1875?" Jenkins remained silent. He left and returned fifteen minutes later with a tea service. He poured a cup for Jake and one for himself.

"You want to share your story?" Jake asked. Jenkins sighed as a memory from long ago stirred.

"I have been around for a long time, not as long as Judson but I have seen my share of history."

"At least 160 years worth give or take from what I figure." Jake gave him a curious look.

"Yes." Was his cryptic answer. He took a sip from his cup and continued.

"Her name was Abigail and she was beautiful, smart and kind. Best of all she loved to laugh and make others smile. After so many years of seeing the worst in humanity it was a blessing to have someone who had such a joyful spirit come into my life. I left my position at the Library to be with her. We married and everything was going well for six months, then she became ill. Gravely ill. We tried all the doctors and specialists, but no one could find a cause or a cure. They gave her very little time to live. In desperation we went to see a sorceress named Esmeralda who granted our request for a cure. She gave us a potion and told her to mix it with tea and drink it under the next crescent moon."

"And she got better?"

"She did, but she began to lose her memory of me only and me, she was becoming a stranger. She lost her smile. I went back to her to demand an explanation. The old witch said she needed her memory for a new spell she was working on and threatened to give me Abigail's illness if I didn't leave her house."

"So you had her and lost her at the same time." Jake could feel the anger in his voice.

"One day she had a rare extended period of clarity and said she was going for a walk. When she came back a few hours later, she was her old self, her smile was as lovely as ever and she was happy again. She remembered everything she had forgotten and I was overjoyed that we had our lives back."

"So far so good Jenkins." Jake said. "So what was the catch?"

"Unbeknownst to me she found Esmeralda and had the cure reversed. The price for that was her life, that witch gave her only three days to live."

Jake clasped his hands behind his head and lowered it, he didn't like where this was going.

"She said she would rather live a short life and remember me than a long one without me and so we made the best of the three days we had. On the evening of the third day, I held her close and I told her how much I loved her and that she would always be in my heart. We fell asleep in each other's arms. On the fourth morning I woke up and saw her lying so peaceful, so still."

Jake looked at him, his eyes were brimming with tears. "Jenkins, I'm really sorry." He said trying to offer what little comfort he could.

"Imagine my great surprise when she woke up. I was ready to bury her and I had her back. The love we had for each other proved more powerful than the witch's spell. After that we had twenty wonderful years together. Those were the best years of my life; they passed by so quickly it felt more like days to me. Unfortunately her illness returned, but this time we decided that we would not try to seek a cure. We would simply enjoy the time we had left. She died a few months later after, and when she passed on, I returned to the Library taking a position in the annex."

Jake got up and paced the floor stunned by what he heard. "It's a beautiful story, Jenkins and I'm glad you got a happy ending, I really am… but are you saying I shouldn't bother with a cure for Cassie?" He couldn't accept that.

"What I am saying is that if you spend the rest of your life obsessed with finding a cure, you will lose her. You will miss out on loving her for who she is, finding out all those little things about her that make life worthwhile. Your love for her gives her strength, a reason to live and if you trust in that, it will be enough. No magic cures necessary."

"I want to Jenkins, but the protector side of me wants to save her from pain and harm. She is right now by herself facing God knows what and every part of me wants to find her, take care of her, and keep her safe."

"She is a Librarian and I dare say a very good one. She will be fine." Jenkins said as he went to get the scones he left in the kitchen.

Jake sat alone with his thoughts. He was right. For all his noble intentions, wild magic was just that, unpredictable and dangerous. He would learn to trust in the power of their love for each other. His phone rang and he fumbled in his back pocket for it. "Cassie? I can hardly hear you. What's wrong?"


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thank you all for your reviews, follows and favorites so far. I figured since season two will be a bit of a wait, why not add more to the story… _**

"Jake I have a question about rattlesnakes." Her voice was shaky, uncertain and full of fear.

His mind went wild with thoughts of her being in a desert, bitten and far from a hospital, the poison slowly working it way through her body squeezing the breath from her and ultimately her life. "Where are you, I'm on my way!" He bolted towards the door and tried to attach the cables as quickly as he could, but his sweaty fingers were making them slip out of his hands.

"Sweetheart no, listen. Bucky here is cooking some and says it's are the best thing since sliced bread, but I'm not so sure. Have you ever eaten a rattlesnake?"

"What?" He stopped to catch his breath. "You're not bitten?"

"No silly, why would you think that?" Jake let out a long breath as he calmed down then realized she was not alone.

"Who is Bucky?"

"Are you jealous?" She teased.

"No…" He lied.

"Well your tone says something else."

"I'm fine Cassie. So that's all you called me about, to see if it's ok to eat a rattlesnake?"

"Not just that. I miss you."

"I miss you too darlin'. You know I could come there." He suggested, hoping she would forget about this working alone quest and ask him to join her.

I'm "No, it's best if you stay there. Bucky's son Jim has been missing for a week. The last place he was spotted was at a cemetery putting flowers on his mother's grave. There have been three mysterious disappearances in this area and now Jim is the latest one. I found out about an old Mexican legend of a bride who was killed on her wedding day. According to the legend, the spirit of Maria Valdez roams the streets every year on the anniversary of her wedding night looking for her groom. Unsuspecting men who happen upon her are powerless to resist her gaze and follow her to their own deaths."

"So now we're chasing ghost stories? How do we deal with one if that is the case and not some creep hanging out around the cemetery looking for people to rob or worse."

"It's not just a ghost story. At the last place they were each were known to be there were weird symbols on the ground, I'm trying to decipher the pattern and see if there is code to find out what it means."

"Well maybe I can help."

"All of the missing are men between 30 and 40 years of age. I don't want to take a chance of you being her next victim. I think that's why it appeared in my clippings book."

"Because I would be a target." Jake concluded.

"Yes and I wouldn't want you to be the groom of a dried up old ghost." She chuckled at her own attempt to make a joke.

"Alright but be careful. And for the record, rattlesnake is delicious. I like mine breaded with a bit of hot pepper flakes, salt, onion powder and garlic in the flour mix. Fry it till it's golden brown and it is the best."

"Supper's ready…" Jake heard a voice in the background calling to her.

"Here goes. Hope it's as good as what you just told me. Are you still going back to see your family?"

"Yup. I should head out soon before they all go to bed."

"Ok I'll see you there when I'm finished. Love you."

"Love you too." He hung up.

"I told you she would be fine." Jenkins said as he came back with the scones.

"You're right as usual." Jake grabbed one and took a bite.

"So you are going somewhere yourself now Mr. Stone?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go back and see the family, make sure everything is ok."

"Well let me help you get there. Tulsa is it? That is where you left your truck right?" He connected the cables and went to globe to reposition it.

"Give me a few minutes, I gotta pack." When Jake came down the door was ready.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me." He said.

"That is precisely what I am trying to do. Now good day, have a nice visit." Jenkins gave him a sarcastic wave as he went through.

For the first time in a long while, Jenkins had the Library to himself. He went to the back and sat down to enjoy his tea and scones before taking his weekly trip outside the Library. A few minutes later he heard a knock on the back door. Ezekiel stumbled in a bit disheveled but with a big grin on his face.

"Where is everybody?" He asked as he followed Jenkins.

"Gone as you should be."

"Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair in a jif, just popped in to change my clothes. Carlita and I have a big date planned tonight. Don't wait up." He winked at him.

"You and who? Never mind I don't want to know." Jenkins grimaced and threw his hands up in the air. "The sooner you are gone the sooner I will have some peace and quiet."

"Are those scones? Mind if I have one?" He took one and poured himself a cup of tea. Once he finished, he went to freshen up.

"So long mate." He said to Jenkins as he headed out.

Finally they were all gone. He walked to the garden he kept and cut some lavender, roses, gardenias and peonies. Back inside he tied them together in a pretty bouquet and set the door for Riverstown, a tiny village in Ireland. He walked to the old cemetery at the end of the village to her grave. He set the flowers at the base of the tombstone, cleaned up the stone slab and weeded the ground around it.

Abigail Jenkins born 1815 died 1875. Beloved wife and friend. "I miss you my darling." He said as he placed the flowers on the grave and sat to tell her the week's latest adventures.


	4. Chapter 4

The lights were still on at Billy Stone's house when Jake arrived. "Uncle Jake what are you doing here?" His nephew Shane asked as he gave him a hug. "Are you coming to take us to see the knight?" His brother Travis reminded him about his promise the last time he came to visit.

"No, unfortunately I found out that he passed away and his wife sold the art gallery. Sorry boys." Jake winced, remembering his friend Thomas Wynn who died trying to protect him and his family from Dulaque and Lamia. They looked disappointed but Jake knew how to cheer them back up. "How about if we go on a treasure hunt?"

Billy came to greet him. "What's this I hear about a treasure hunt?" Billy gave him a bear hug. "Come in here big brother, you coming to stay for awhile or just passing through?"

"I'm here for a few days, gonna see Dad in a bit and see if I can stay with him. So what's new? Where's Amy and Emma?" He noticed his sister-in-law and his niece were missing.

"Emma made it to the state finals in the Spelling Bee. She and Amy are in Oklahoma City for the competition. She didn't want us to say anything to you in case she didn't make it to the final round, but now that you are here, the next round is tomorrow night. Come with us, Emma will really be surprised and thrilled to see you. Even Dad is going."

"Really? Last time we talked about it he wasn't too happy about Emma being a genius."

"Well, whatever you said to him on your last visit really turned him around. He's now her biggest cheerleader. He has been helping her study, giving her all kinds of words to spell. He's cleaned up his act, stopped drinking so much and even went back to work part time."

"I'm happy for him, he was always a good man, he just needed to believe it." Jake said without further explanation. "And I wouldn't miss Emma's competition for the world."

He visited with them for a while then called his father. "Of course you can stay with me son, I've missed you, and we need to catch up." Jed Stone's voice once harsh and contemptuous toward his eldest son was replaced by a more gentle tone, causing Jake to choke back a tear.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow." He pointed to his nephews. He said goodnight and headed out the door.

"Uncle Jake what about the treasure hunt?" Travis asked.

"Ah yes, I want to take you two and your cousin A.J. to the science museum. They have a pirate exhibition with real pirate gold and we get a chance to dig for treasure ourselves." The boys cheered as they went up the stairs to bed, arguing about who would find more treasure.

Jake parked his truck in front of his childhood home fifteen minutes later. It looked as normal as any other house on the block. No one would ever believe the supernatural events that took place here a few months earlier almost changing the course of history.

In his attempt to gain magical power, Dulaque found out that Jake had an uncle, Roy Lee Reinhallt, who was also a genius but criminally insane. It sparked a memory of an ancient legend about three gifted siblings who controlled a magical crystal and the prophecy that three gifted descendants would one day reclaim it's power. On a hunch, he sent Lamia back to Jake's hometown to see if there was a third.

When they found the third descendant in Emma they kidnapped her, and forced the three to come together in the annex to fulfill the prophecy. In the end the plan failed but Dulaque set off a chain of events that freed his uncle Roy from a maximum security prison, almost cost Emma her life and landed his father in jail, accused of the murder of Thomas Wynn, the last keeper of the crystal who gave it to Jake hoping to keep it safe.

Jake was forced to reveal the secret that he held on to for so long to his family. He also told them he was that he was part of a secret society working to keep magic from the wrong hands. Billy and Amy became enraged at the outlandish story and demanded he tell them the truth of where their daughter was, but Emma was in danger and he had no time for more explanations. Her parents had no choice but to believe Jake and they reluctantly placed their trust in him and Cassandra to bring their daughter back and get their father out of jail.

They were none the wiser since all their memory of the incident and prior events that led to Jake's confession was erased by water from the Sea of Lost Memories Jenkins provided them with. It was for their protection he said and once Cassandra put a few drops in their drinks, Jake was able to reset all their memories.

Jed Stone once regarded Jake's genius as a curse and shunned him most of his life because his son reminded him of his brother Roy who used his gift to terrify and torture him and his sister Lucille. With the water, Jake was able to make him see that his and Emma's genius as a gift to be embraced. He was now able to accept Emma and treat her the way Jake wished he could have been when he was growing up. He forgave his father but more importantly Jed's new memories allowed him to forgive himself and move on with his life. Jake looked forward to a new relationship with his dad and for the first time in twenty years he was glad to come home.

Inside, the house looked different, it felt different. He was pleasantly surprised when he walked in the den. Gone was the dark paneling that made the room look dreary. The walls were painted a bright blue, the old plaid sofa and worn leather chair was replaced with a new modern one and warm hued hardwood floors replaced the dirty green carpet. The bar that stored Jed's liquor was gone, a play area for the grandchildren now in it's place.

"Hey Dad." Jake said as he opened the door. "I like what you've done to the place."

"Jakey, my boy." Jed greeted him with a firm handshake. "How are you? How is your new job?"

"The one at the refinery?" He wanted to test his memory.

"No son, you don't have to lie any more. I know you are working with people like you, smart people."

"You know about that? What else do you know?" Jake asked fearing that the magic from the water didn't work on him.

"It's alright son, when I talked to my friend at Portsmith Refinery, he told me you weren't working there. I knew you must have found a job where you could use you gifts. Your secret is safe with me, if that's the way you want it, but you don't have to be ashamed anymore." He patted him on the back.

It took a minute for his words to sink in. He grabbed his father, and held him tight. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that." He whispered. Jed loosened their embrace and looked at his son. "I'm proud of you my boy. I know you will do great things."

"Thanks Dad, I'm trying." Jake nodded.

"Hey how about a beer? I taped the game, maybe we could watch it together?" Jed asked lightening the mood.

Jake chuckled. "Sure, what ya got?" and followed him into the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

"Thanks for your help Ezekiel." Cassandra said as he handed her the necklace.

"So what's the story behind it?" He asked.

"Don't know yet. All of the missing men were either engaged or dating." She put the necklace on a display stand and stared at it. "The symbols look Aztec or Native American. I'm not sure. I need Jake to look at them." She dialed his number.

Jake was awakened by his phone buzzing. "Cassie hi, is everything alright it's kind of early." He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked at the time, 6:30 a.m.

"I'm sorry to wake you, but I need your help."

"G'day mate." Ezekiel chimed in. Jake bolted straight up, fully awake now.

"Wait I thought you wanted to work alone, why is Ezekiel there?"

"I needed him to steal … well borrow something for me. I think it's has something to do with the disappearances. I'm sending you the pictures. Can you tell me anything about them? Ezekiel stole it from the latest victim's girlfriend. She wasn't wearing the necklace when I first met her, but last night I saw it in a picture of her with her boyfriend. I noticed the symbols were the same as the ones on the ground so I called him to help me."

"Fine." He accepted her explanation with reluctance.

"This is amazing!" Jake exclaimed when he got them. "I've only seen these in drawings, this is very rare."

"What is it?" Cassandra asked.

"These are symbols from the Camope. They were a proud and fierce tribe that lived near the Aztec in Mexico but were defeated in battle and their people taken to be used in their sacrifices. A loyal warrior took their chieftain and his youngest daughter and managed to escape. They made their way to what we now know as Texas, integrated into the culture so their customs and practices died with the last survivor.

"So you know what it's for and what the symbols mean?" Cassandra asked. Jake smiled.

"It's a divining necklace. The chieftain used it to help find suitable husbands for the women especially for his two daughters."

"Do you think this may tell us where the missing men are?"

"I'm not sure. When a man was interested in a certain maiden they would go to the chieftain. He would take the necklace off and place it on each of them one at a time. According to their legend if the same symbol glowed, the marriage was blessed. If not then they could not be married even if they were in love. The tribe prohibited the marriage believing it would be cursed. Both parties would have to abide by the decision of the necklace and find a more suitable mate."

"I guess they didn't believe in the notion of opposites attracting." Ezekiel said.

"No they didn't. Anyone who dared to defy the chieftain's decision met with a cruel death. No one was exempt not even his oldest daughter." Jake explained. "When she tried to escape with her lover, they were found impaled by his spear." Cassandra and Ezekiel grimaced in disgust. "So where did she get it from?"

"I'll find out later. I'm meeting Rose for breakfast. What do the symbols mean?" Cassandra asked.

"They are symbols from nature. The first one is a bear, the second an eagle, the third a wolf and the fourth a poinsettia."

"So what happened to the men? The clipping book says four are missing but only Jim's dad and Rose have filed a missing person's report.

"My guess is that you will find some answers when you talk to your new friend." Jake said.

"Speaking of new friends, I've got to get back to Carlita. She's taking me to her village. They are having a banquet for me tonight, you know… cause I saved them and all." Ezekiel puffed his chest out and tilted his head up enamored with himself.

"You know Cassandra was the one who really saved that village right?" Jake was getting tired of his arrogance.

"Yeah, I know, but Carlita doesn't. You don't mind do you?" He looked at Cassandra.

"No go ahead, be my guest and be the hero." She said. "Idiot." She muttered under her breath.

"Ok then, see you later." Light flashed around the door he came from and he was gone. Cassandra looked at her watch.

"Ooh, I've got to hurry, I'm meeting Rose in a half hour. She's taking me to her favorite breakfast place, she says they serve an amazing French toast loaded with fruit and lots of powdered sugar, can't wait." Jake chuckled at her excitement about breakfast.

"Alright then, I gotta make tracks too. I promised my nephews I would take them to the science museum to see the pirate exhibition."

"That sounds like fun." Cassandra said. "What else is new with your folks?"

Jake got her up to speed about his newly rekindled relationship with his father and Emma's spelling bee competition.

"I'm happy for you sweetheart, I know you've wanted that for a long time. Oh I hope I can wrap this up and get there soon." She said. "Wish her luck for me if I don't make it."

"I hope you do make it. She'd be happy to see you again. Be careful ok?"

"Ok." She hung up and went to get ready. She passed the necklace and stared at it again. "Hmmm I wonder what symbol would glow for me…" She waved off the temptation and went to shower.

As she headed out she grabbed the necklace to give it back to Rose. "Oh what's the harm, Jake is no where near here." The eagle symbol glowed as she put it on her neck. She quickly took it off and stuffed it in her purse.

"Mmm… this is so good." Cassandra smiled in delight as she took another bite.

"I told you, the best French toast you've ever had." Rose proclaimed victory.

"Well a close second." Cassandra said. "My boyfriend and I were at a great little restaurant in Cape Cod a few months back and…." It was the first time she called Jake her boyfriend out loud. She liked the sound of that word. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Her mind was starting to spin off in a tangent. She shook her head to get back to the task at hand.

"Anyway. This slipped off your neck the other night. I want to return it to you."

Rose looked at it and frowned. "Keep it. It has brought nothing but bad luck since I've had it."

"What do you mean? Where did you get it from?"

"A coworker gave it to me as a gift. She said it would help me know if Jim was the right man for me. She used it to find her husband and her mother and grandmother did as well."

"Who is she?"

"Her name is Lucia Martinez, she is such a sweet lady. She and her husband have been married for forty years and every day he comes by the shop and brings her lunch. You should see them together. They are so much in love. I told her I wanted that for me and my boyfriend and she gave me this the next day."

"So what happened?"

"She explained the symbols to me and how the necklace worked. I didn't believe it at first but when I put it on the poinsettia flower glowed. I was so excited to see if Jim would get the same symbol. He didn't."

"But it's only a superstition." Cassandra reasoned.

"Maybe, but when he got a bear, I was so disappointed. It started to put a lot of doubt in my mind. He told me not to believe in a silly story about a magical necklace, but I couldn't help it. We broke up soon after." She started to cry.

"A few days later I decided I was wrong and called him. When he didn't pick up I went to his apartment and the manager told me he left with another woman. And now he is missing."

"Did you tell this to Lucia?"

"I did. She told me the necklace never lies, but I told her I didn't believe in it. I told her I was going to tell Jim that, but I didn't get a chance."

"And the police? What did they say?"

"They said he was probably with the new girlfriend and wouldn't take it as a missing person's report." She covered her face with her hands. "Maybe Lucia was right." She sobbed.

"Or maybe she wanted to be right." Cassandra got up. "Thank you so much for breakfast. I'll talk to you soon." She took a cab to the cemetery.


	6. Chapter 6

Jake picked up his nephews right on time at 9 in the morning. They then walked a few houses down to get A.J. his sister Libby's 5 year old son.

"Mind if we tag along?" Libby asked as she got 6-month-old Elizabeth bundled up and made sure and 3-year-old Charlie's coat was fastened correctly.

"I'd love it." He gave her a kiss on her cheek, hugged his youngest nephew and took the baby from her hands.

"You are getting so big and so beautiful little darlin'." He swayed with her around the room while she giggled with delight.

When they got to the museum, Shane, Travis and A.J. went off to explore some of the hands on exhibits. "Make sure you get back by 10:30 when the pirate exhibit opens. I have your tickets." Their uncle reminded them.

"So…how's the job? And Cassandra?" Libby gave him a sly look.

"Everything is fine." Jake returned the look. "Hey Charlie, let's go see the mummies." He put him on his shoulders and walked over to the display case. She followed.

"So when will we see her again?"

Jake couldn't hide the huge smile at the mention of her name. "Who Cassie? Soon I hope."

"Ah so it's Cassie now? I knew that story you told Josh was just to keep him away. I could tell there was more between you two from way you looked at her the day you took her to the airport. That said it all."

"You know me too well Lib." He said. "I invited her to come, but she had some stuff to do at work, she's gonna try and make it tonight for Emma's spelling bee competition."

"Wow, that's quite the trip to take from Portland for a few hours. She must really like you."

"Well, uh…she told me there was a flight from PDX leaving at 5:30 tonight, she's gonna try to make it on standby." Jake explained. Now that they had the back door to take them anywhere in the world in mere seconds, he forgot that everyone else still had to travel the conventional way.

Libby nodded in approval. "Well anyone who can make you smile like that is certainly a keeper. I'm glad she makes you happy." She hugged her brother as they headed for the line to the exhibit.

They were led by their guide to a small auditorium where they first watched a video about the pirate way of life. The boys enjoyed learning how to tie knots, see real pirate gold, board a real pirate ship and talk to Captain Tobias Ward and his first mate John Morgan. The best part was digging for buried treasure. They were taken to a room that looked like a desert island and given a map with clues to the stolen loot. They were divided into teams, first team to find the wooden chest won a prize.

Jake showed the boys how to read the map and they went off in search of the treasure. After 15 minutes they were the winners, beating out a man with his grandchildren and a two teachers with their school group. As the winners they each won a real compass, replicas of gold coins and free lunch at the café.

"Mommy look at what we got." A.J. proudly showed his mother who was waiting for them in the café.

There was one last display on the way out and as the children went over to investigate, Jake saw it from the corner of his eye. He turned to face it, his mouth agape. The resemblance was uncanny. He read the story of Abercrombie Jenkins, a sailor on the English ship_ Forethought_, who single handedly saved his ship and crew when it was attacked by pirates from the_ Blood Rose_ as they were headed back to England from the Caribbean.

According to the legend, the captain and crew were captured and tied up while over thirty pirates ransacked the boat, taking the treasures it had stowed away. While the captain tried to bargain for the lives of his men, Abercrombie was able to escape and use a magical carving of a mermaid he had in his possession. Its enchanted voice lulled everyone on board except Abercrombie to sleep. He tied up the pirates, took control of his ship and sailed back to England.

The men were waking up as he steered the ship in the port. When they saw the captured pirates and Abercrombie at the helm they praised his bravery and heroism in saving their lives, but their captain would not stand for it. He pushed Abercrombie from the wheel and took sole credit for the capture. The duke for who he worked was so pleased that his ship and treasures were saved, he gave him a hefty reward and lifetime command. The crewmen, not pleased that their fellow sailor was forgotten told their master the true story. Angered by his cowardice, he fired the captain and searched for the brave sailor to make him the captain of the ship, but he and the carving were never found again. All that was left was a charcoal portrait of him that another sailor drew, found on his bunk.

The duke had the portrait preserved and renamed the ship the_ Abercrombie _in his honor. All who sailed on it from that day on were always kept safe from danger. It served with distinction for many years until it was retired and bought by a private collector.

"Jenkins you son of a gun, you were once a librarian too. I know where that carving and ship must be." Jake chuckled as he took pictures of the display to show to the others.

"You act like you know him Uncle Jake." Shane said hearing him talk about him in a familiar way.

"Uh, no I don't know him, but he reminds me of someone I do know. Come on, it's getting late we have to get ready to go see Emma." He gave it one last look and smiled as they left.


	7. Chapter 7

Cassandra stood at the front of the cemetery gates and closed her eyes, concentrating on the map her mind was showing her. She walked for in and turned to her right then made her way to the old section on the northern end. A pattern of symbols similar to the ones on the necklace appeared. She looked around and saw a mausoleum covered by thick brush and weeds. She pulled back on a branch and recognized her symbol, the eagle at the top.

"This is it, I know it." She said. The door had a thick wooden beam bolted across it. No one had been in this place for a very long time, but she knew this was where she would find the answers. "Hello! Is any one in there? Can anyone hear me?" She called out. No answer.

She tried to find another way in to no avail. "I'll be back." She promised as she turned to go. Her head started to ache, she stopped and sat on a bench to rest.

"Are you alright miss?" a voice said to her. A woman who looked to be in her sixties approached.

"I'll be fine, I just need a moment." Cassandra rubbed her head.

"I have some aspirin if you need them."

"No thanks it's getting better." She got up to go.

The woman noticed Cassandra's necklace. "What a pretty heart charm. What's that inscribed on it?" She looked closer. "Promise. What does it mean?"

"It was given to me by someone very special." She held on to it and smiled.

"Ahh…a special fellow I imagine."

"Yes he is." She said.

"Is he the one?" She asked. Cassandra blinked and remained silent, not sure how to handle her forwardness. She got up to leave.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry. It's just you seem a bit uncertain."

"No that's not the case at all…"

"You know there is a way you can be sure you two are meant to be together." The older woman came closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's magic."

"Go on." Cassandra replied with a suspicious interest.

"I don't have it now but I can get it. It's been in my family for generations. I have personally helped eight women find lifetime happiness by making sure their man was the right one for them."

"You're Lucia Martinez." Cassandra realized.

The woman stepped back. "How do you know my name?" Her mouth twisted and brows furrowed. Cassandra reached in her purse and pulled out a clear plastic bag that held the necklace. "Where did you get that? That belongs to my family." She tried to snatch it back but Cassandra pushed her hand away.

"I got it from your co-worker Rose McNeil. I'm investigating the disappearances of four men who were last seen in this area. Her boyfriend Jim was the latest one to disappear, and I think you and this necklace have something to do with it."

"Me? No I don't know anything about any men disappearing." She shifted her eyes and started to walk away but Cassandra caught her by the arm.

"You know something and unless you tell me what you know these men will die and you will be to blame."

Lucia sat down on the bench and started to cry. "I don't know anything honest. All I know is that if the symbols match for the couple they will be happy. It's worked for me and generations of my family."

"But the symbols for Rose and Jim didn't match. What happened to him?" Cassandra continued her interrogation unconvinced by her tears.

"When Rose told me their symbols did not match I told her it was for the best, the necklace is never wrong. If she didn't break it off, something bad would happen. She stopped seeing him, but one day she told me that she changed her mind and that she was going back to him. I tried to warn her but she wouldn't listen. I didn't know he was missing, she never told me that."

"What about the other men? You mean to tell me you don't know about them either?"

Lucia sniffed, her eyes reddened from crying. "I haven't seen those couples in years, I assumed the women got on with their lives and met someone else. The other four are living very happy lives with their spouses and families."

"They must have rekindled their relationships and gotten back together again fairly recently then." Cassandra thought out loud. She led Lucia to the mausoleum. "Does this mean anything to you? It has the same symbols carved around the entrance."

"It's the burial place of one of my ancestors. He was a great chief among his people."

"Were you here to visit it?"

"No… I was visiting the grave of my first husband."

Cassandra looked at her in shock. "Wait a minute, Rose told me you and your husband have been married for 40 years and you two are very much in love."

"That's true my Roberto is the finest man anyone could ask for but he was not my first husband. Tony was."

"Let me guess, your symbols didn't match."

"No they didn't but we were nineteen and in love and we weren't going to let some old superstition keep us apart. We married secretly and ran away to Mexico, but a few weeks later he died under mysterious circumstances."

"How?" Cassandra felt sick, she wished she had never tried the necklace on.

"He just died. The doctors couldn't find anything to point to his death, not a heart attack, poison, foul play, nothing. He simply stopped breathing. I went home to my mother heartbroken, feeling guilty for his death. From that day on, I never doubted the necklace again. I met Roberto two years later and when our symbols matched I knew he was the one. We have been together ever since."

"But how does it explain the disappearances? Four men went missing all on the same day but only Jim was reported missing. I need to talk to the other women."

"Maybe I can help, I still have their phone numbers back at the shop." They went back to the flower shop where she and Rose worked. As Cassandra talked to the women the same story revealed itself. They were called away for business and would be back in a few days. "Someone lured them to that spot and we need to find out who and why."

"How are you going to do that?" Lucia was shaking with fear. "You mustn't go against the magic of the necklace."

"If we don't those men will die, if they haven't died already. Do you want that on your conscience?"

Lucia sighed. "What do you suggest?" she asked.

"Whatever spirit or magic that dwells inside the necklace is angry that four women defied it, but it needs a physical form to link it to this world so that it can get it's revenge. I think it used you to lure the men here somehow. We need to go back to the mausoleum. Are you with me?" Cassandra asked.

"I'm frightened. I lost one love. Who knows if the spirit will retaliate against me or Roberto." Lucia shook her head and turned away from Cassandra. "I can't go. I'm sorry."

Cassandra couldn't believe her selfishness and stormed out. It was only 3:00 p.m. but something told her she wouldn't make Emma's competition tonight. An overwhelming feeling of loneliness and sadness washed over her. She wished more than anything to have Jake with her to feel his strong arms around her and hear his soft voice calm her when she felt like she was losing control, but her own happiness had to take a back seat as the lives of these men depended on her at this moment.


	8. Chapter 8

"Dinner's at my house." Libby said as Jake dropped her and the children off from their trip to the museum.

"See you in a bit, sis." Jake went to pick up his father. It was a happy, noisy affair with the boys telling their pirate stories then excusing themselves to play with the wooden swords their uncle Jake bought for them.

"You know Amy's not going to be happy that you bought them those." Billy said as they watched them swat at each other.

"What are you talking about, you take them hunting and fishing all the time, these are just toys." Jake reasoned.

"Yeah, well I'll send you the bill for all the busted lamps we get." The brothers laughed recalling their own sword fights as children and the things they broke.

"Mom never did forgive you for breaking her favorite vase." Jake reminded Billy.

A loud knock on the door made everyone stop to see who was coming in. Jake hoped it would be Cassandra. Instead his youngest brother Josh with his girlfriend Shannon walked in. Disappointed but happy to see his brother he got up and gave them both a hug.

"Hope we're not too late." Josh smiled as they made their way to the table.

"Oh we have a few minutes, so eat fast little brother." Libby joked as she greeted the pair and set a place for them.

Travis was the first to notice it. "Wow, that's a really shiny ring."

Everyone stared at Josh then Shannon. For a moment everyone was quiet then they began talking at once. "Congratulations!" "When did this happen?" "You sure you want to marry this guy?" "Nice rock." Were some of the comments they could make out from the rising volume of excitement in the room.

Jed tapped on his beer bottle to settle them down. "Congratulations you two. I hope you will be very happy, like your mother and I were." He choked up a bit and Libby came to his side to comfort him.

"To the happy couple." Jake said lifting his bottle to toast them.

"So that only leaves one sibling not hitched." Josh pointed out as they turned their attention to Jake who smiled and took a quick slug of his beer. "So where's Cassandra?" He gave Jake the same look his sister gave him when she asked him that very question.

"She's working. She thought she might be able to come but I guess she couldn't get out in time." His smile disappeared as he thought about her facing the magic of the Camope divining necklace, hoping she was safe.

"I knew it. I knew you liked her when she came at Christmas." Josh said. "She's a great gal brother. My advice, don't let her go."

"I don't intend to." Jake replied.

It was time to go and everyone got up to get their coats. "Come on guys." Billy said to his boys as he pried the swords from the their hands. "The competition starts at eight and it's a two hour drive to Oklahoma City."

They piled into their trucks and started out, Billy leading the caravan, followed by Wyatt and Libby, then Jake, his father next to him and Josh and Shannon snuggling in the back of his truck. Jake's phone rang shortly after they were on the road.

"Cassie? How are you?" Jake answered grateful to hear her voice.

"Jake, I don't think I'm going make it tonight. I'm sorry."

"Hi Cassandra…" Josh said from the back.

"Oh, ok you're not alone."

"Right. I got my dad, Josh and his fiancé Shannon with me. We're headed to Emma's spelling bee competition." He informed her.

"Alright, I'll be brief." Cassandra told him all the developments and her plan to find the missing men.

"Sweetheart, maybe you should call someone to help you with… the books, like Mr. Jenkins or that pesky assistant, Ezekiel Jones." He maintained a calm voice trying not to sound worried.

"I can't, it's almost dusk and something is going to happen any time now, I can't risk losing my focus. I'll be fine. Tell Emma she is going to crush it tonight. Love you."

"Ok, talk to you soon, love you too." He said before she disconnected.

"What kind of work does she do at the library again? I thought she was in maintenance." Josh asked.

"She got promoted, Assistant librarian to Mr. Jenkins. They're getting a new section of the library ready and he has the staff working late to set it up."

"He sounds like a dreadful man." Shannon opined.

"He's not so bad, once you get to know him." Jake said with a smile.

They arrived twenty minutes early and took their seats. Jed went to go see his granddaughter. "Hi Grandpa." She waved when she saw him enter the room where the contestants and their chaperones were in.

"There's my girl." He scooped her in his arms and gave her a kiss, then got down to business. "Spell ecchymosis."

"E-C-C-H-Y-M…uh…O-S-I-S."

"Good. Spell plateau."

"That's easy. P-L-A-T-E-A-U."

"Spell..."

"Ok, ok you two, that's enough." Amy stepped in. "They are calling for them to line up." Jed gave her one last hug then went to find his seat.

"How is she?" Everyone asked.

"She's fine, I'm not sure about me though." Jed's hands were shaking, a worried look on his face.

The competition was fierce, but finally was down to two. Emma and Sam Desai, a sixth grader from Norman.

Jed held his breath when she missed the spelling of the autochthonous. All eyes were on Sam as he attempted to spell it for the win. He missed.

They breezed through a few more words, then Sam missed succedaneum.

The room was quiet as the tiny girl with brown bouncy curls and a big smile went before the microphone. Jed was sweating, trying to spell the word under his breath. Even Travis and Shane who had been complaining the whole evening about how bored they were held their breath silently cheering their sister on.

"S-U-C-C-E-D-A….NEUM, succedaneum." She stepped back and looked at the judge.

"That is correct." He exclaimed and declared her the winner of the state competition.

The entire Stone family erupted from of their seats shouting and high fiving each other. Billy had a big bouquet of flowers for his daughter and motioned for his sons and his father to follow him down the aisle onto the stage. Jake watched proudly as they took turns hugging and kissing her. Jed lifted her on his shoulders and rode her around the stage.

Once the excitement and press attention died down, Emma made her way to see the rest of her family. She got more flowers from her aunt Libby and uncle Wyatt and uncle Josh and Shannon. Her cousins A.J. and Charlie gave her a slightly wrinkled oversized card they made for her.

"We have another surprise for you, sweetie." Libby pointed to the back where Jake stood with a big grin on his face, his eyes brimming with tears. She ran to him and he lifted her up into his arms.

"Uncle Jake! I'm so happy you are here." She hugged him as tight as she could and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. He reached in his pocket and gave her a small blue box. He set her down so she could open it. It was a necklace with a heart charm like the one he had given Cassandra had but with a different word inscribed. _Unashamed_. Tears fell down her cheeks as she realized her uncle never had a moment like this when he was a boy and she felt a sense of sadness for him. He had to hide his genius most of his life and even now could not bring himself to reveal it to his family. She gave him her plaque.

"This is for you."

"No monkey, this is your night. You earned it." He put the necklace on her and she beamed with pride.

"I love it, and I'm never taking it off."


	9. Chapter 9

Cassandra hung up the phone and looked around for a place to hide and wait. She wasn't sure what was going to happen but she knew it would happen tonight on the anniversary of Maria Valdez's ill-fated wedding.

It was almost eight but the cloudy evening made the approaching night look more like midnight. A mist rising over the ground and swirling around the tombstones added to the eerie scene.

An hour later she was cold and stiff from waiting in her hiding spot behind the brush that covered the mausoleum. She was tempted to take Jake's advice and call Jenkins or Ezekiel. She started to dial the phone when she noticed a bluish glow coming her way. She crouched lower as it got closer. A female figure dressed in a tattered wedding dress and veil floated inches above the cold hard ground. Cassandra held her mouth to keep from making any noise.

When it approached the mausoleum, the heavy wooden beam that kept the front door shut rose effortlessly permitting the ghostly figure to enter. Cassandra waited a few seconds making sure the phantom had gone in before following.

Boy, this is bigger than it looks from the outside she thought as she made her way through the pitch black corridor. The inside was cold and damp, wisps of cobwebs on her face and arms startled her as she walked. She stifled the urge to scream each time she felt something scurrying over her feet. At last she came to the end and felt for a way in.

She opened the door and through a dim light she saw the men, lying on the floor apparently unconscious, feet bound with their hands tied behind their backs. She ran over to them and shook one awake. "Come on! Wake up." She pleaded as she shook him. The man was groggy but recoiled in terror as he felt her she working on the knots. "My name is Cassandra, I'm here to help you get out." She whispered.

"I'm Jim." He replied as he tried to help her loosen his bonds. He looked up and his body stiffened as his eyes grew wider. "Look out!" he cried.

Cassandra turned around to face the ghastly feminine form with a mass of tangled black hair and opaque eyes approaching. She had a large sickle shaped knife in her right hand. She lifted it high and began to descend upon Cassandra who rolled out of the way and to the opposite wall. She got up and fumbled for the necklace she put in her pocket. She took it out and held it up for her to see.

"Take one more step and I will destroy this along with your power!" She yelled. A blood curdling scream filled the dank room as she hurled herself at the Librarian with all her might. Cassandra swung wildly in desperation fully aware that it wouldn't help since it was a spirit and not a flesh and blood person so she was surprised when she landed a punch on her jaw knocking her unconscious and the knife out of her hand.

She quickly grabbed it and finished cutting Jim free. He and Cassandra then freed the others and helped them to their feet.

"What is going on and how did you know where to find us?" Jim asked grateful but confused.

"No time to explain. Go get to safety."

"What about you?" He asked.

"I'll be alright I know how to handle this." She assured him closing the door when the last one left.

Cassandra turned the unconscious body over and recognized the face. Lucia Martinez. She slapped her face several times to wake her up. "Wake up Lucia. Please."

The older woman fluttered her eyes as her features and clothes returned to their normal state. "What happened?"

"I think the spirit of the necklace used your body to take it's revenge." Cassandra explained.

"Oh dear, how could I have been so naïve to let it control me that way." She started to sob.

"It's ok now, you're safe." She helped the woman to her feet and the two started to walk out. She felt pain on the back of her head as her vision became fuzzy. The last thing Cassandra saw was the handle of the door she was reaching for.

* * *

Jake was getting worried. The competition was over and they were at a diner celebrating Emma's win over hot fudge sundaes.

He pulled at the spikes in his hair and checked his watch. It was almost 10:00 p.m. and he had not heard from her in three hours. He made a quick phone call then came back to the celebration.

"Hey everybody, good news. Cassie is at the airport and I'm going to Tulsa to pick her up. I'll be back soon, save some ice cream for us."

"Is everything alright?" Libby asked as he put on his jacket.

"Of course. Why?"

"That's the same look you had when Billy was in the hospital and we thought he wasn't going to make it."

"It's alright sis, everything is fine." He kissed her forehead. She really did know him too well. He left before anyone else noticed and drove as fast as he could to the same door in Tulsa he had gone through before.

* * *

Cassandra woke up and found her hands and feet bound. Lucia had the knife in her hand and was pacing back and forth muttering to herself, wearing the necklace. She stopped when she noticed Cassandra trying to wriggle free.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lucia warned her.

"You were going to kill them weren't you? Are you going to kill me?"

"No of course not. I just wanted to scare them to make them see that if they went back to those women something bad would happen to them. The necklace has powerful magic, but people don't believe in it anymore. So I used the magic to help me convince them. It's never wrong.

"And you know because of your experience. Tony died but you have Roberto and you've been married 40 years, happy years right?"

"No, because if it is wrong then…" She turned away.

"Tony died in vain, is that it?" Cassandra deduced.

Lucia nodded yes and began to cry again.

"Roberto has made me very happy and we have had a good life, but I lost my only chance at having a baby when Tony died. I was 7 months pregnant and the news of his death caused me to go into premature labor. The cord was wrapped around the baby's neck. I was never able to become pregnant again. Don't you see, I was just trying to save them a lifetime of heartache and regret."

"Lucia sometimes magic is best left untouched. May I have it? I'll put it in a place where its power will never hurt them or anyone again. I promise."

The older woman started to take it off and then stopped. "Give it to you? No, I don't think so. I know who you are and why you are here, but you see I have discovered it has more power than just telling lovesick people their destinies, Librarian." Her face began to change back to the sickly pale being and she started to cackle in evil delight at her new found power.

"Lucia! No, don't let it take control of you." Cassandra maneuvered furiously trying to get free but the more she struggled the tighter the rope got.

The transformation was complete and she picked up the knife. "Now what to do with you…"

"Get away from her!" a stern voice commanded as he swung open the door.

"Jake!" Cassandra was never more happy to see him.

The ghostly figure turned to him and laughed. "Ah the someone special is here." With a flick of her wrist, the necklace appeared on Cassandra and symbol of the eagle glowed brightly as before. It then appeared on Jake's neck. The wolf symbol glowed even brighter.

"Oh my, not a match. You'll thank me for this later dear." She turned to Jake and lunged at him aiming for his heart. He remained unmoved, pulled out a gun and took a shot. She landed on the floor blood coming from her shoulder. The spirit disappeared into the night. Lucia was back to herself again.

Jake ran over to Cassandra and untied her. She gave him a big hug and held on to him as he picked her up. "You ok?" he asked.

"I am now." She kissed him. "Thanks for coming, I wasn't sure how I would have gotten out of that."

"Glad I could help." He replied.

The police came in and handcuffed Lucia. She looked wide eyed and confused as they took her away. "The necklace is never wrong, mark my words… It can't be wrong…It can't…" she kept saying.

Jake took the necklace off and studied it, excited to be holding such a rare piece of history. He then gave it to Cassandra who tucked it back in her pocket.

"We need to get this back to the Library as soon as possible." She sounded worried.

Jake took her in his arms again and smiled. "Not so fast darlin'. We have a party to go to."


	10. Chapter 10

Two days later back at the Library, the group was enjoying a rare quiet day. Flynn and Baird returned with the ring of Gyges in their possession, and were preparing to finally go on their date, Jenkins was tinkering again in the back room and Ezekiel was back from his time in Lima with a few 'souvenirs' he snuck in. Jake was pouring over a collection of the unknown works of DaVinci and Cassandra was nearby writing in her little book again. She got a phone call and her satisfied smile after she hung up made him ask what was it about.

"That was Rose. She and Jim decided not to wait and eloped. They are very happy and they wanted to thank us for our help."

Jake smiled at the news. "That's great to hear Cassie."

"Lucia is facing kidnapping and attempted murder charges, but she is in a psychiatric facility for the moment. She keeps repeating the same phrase, '_It's never wrong'_ and Roberto comes everyday to visit. I hope she can come out of it, that was pretty powerful magic that took control of her." She frowned at the thought, and returned to her writing not wanting to say more.

Jake came to her side and took her hands in his. "What's wrong, you have been pretty quiet since we got back."

"I'm fine." She gave him a peck on his cheek.

"You're not having another headache are you?" She could feel his worried stare boring through her and she flinched.

"Just a little one. I'm going to take a break." She lied. Cassandra went to her room and closed the door. Now that they were Librarians, Flynn had them made for their use.

"It's your home away from home." Flynn told them as he ushered the quartet down a hallway and into a courtyard to show them their new suites. They each had a sitting room, bathroom, kitchenette and bedroom, but were very different in appearance.

Baird's was basic, minimalist with only the essentials needed for comfort, Ezekiel's was a techie's dream with all the latest gadgets and gizmos and a sleek modern look. Jake's was surprisingly warm in soft neutrals. The camel walls were painted in a brushed suede effect and artwork ranging from European to Native American hung on the walls. In the sitting room was a soft leather sofa and a large drafting table with shelves underneath to hold canvases he would be studying. The bookshelf was filled with a large supply of art and history books.

Cassandra's room in soothing blues and greens with white furniture and touches of bright accent colors and patterns made it feel like a seaside retreat, tranquil and serene. She giggled when she first saw and inspected her space. "I've always wanted a cottage by the ocean, how did you know?" She asked Flynn.

"Oh it wasn't me, the Library set it up for each of you according to your tastes." He replied.

She walked in, sat on the window seat and looked out at the courtyard. She stared at the fountain bubbling in the middle and smiled as she observed two little birds happily chirping on the edge sharing a breadcrumb. Jake's door was directly across from hers with Baird's and Ezekiel's in between them.

"I guess even the Library knew to keep our rooms the furthest apart." She felt the sting of a tear running down her cheek. Though the magic of the Camope divining necklace was neutralized, unable to harm anyone now that it was in the Library, the fact that her and Jake's symbols didn't match weighed heavily on her mind. She tried to brush it off thinking of Rose and Jim who were also unmatched but willing to go forward and make their relationship work.

Her mind began compiling statistics that kept arriving at the same conclusion. They were destined to fail. She fell in love with an art loving cowboy who wore his heart on his sleeve, not afraid to show emotion. She was logical, rational and in her world their relationship was highly improbable. He relied on faith; she relied on facts. She sighed and made her way to the bedroom to lie down when she heard a knock. She brushed the tears away and patted her face. "Come in."

"Jenkins made a big pot of tea and I thought you might like some." His soft voice and warm smile made her tear up again. "Hey, what's wrong darlin'?" He put the tea service down and walked towards her but she brushed him off and turned her back to him.

"Jake we need to be able to work together and this…us, it's not going to work, we need to realize that. My calculations tell me that, the way our rooms are positioned tells me that and the symbols of the necklace tells me that. With the exception of Rose and Jim the others have already parted ways. And who knows how long before they split up."

Jake rubbed his hand over his mouth and looked down at the floor. He smiled, then walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Against her better judgment, she melted in the warmth of his arms, enjoying the gentle kiss on her neck. "I want to tell you a story, a true story about magic."

He was interrupted by hurried footsteps and a loud voice calling them. They ran out to the courtyard to see what was the matter. "Oy come on! The clippings book is really acting up." Ezekiel beckoned them.

They ran to the main room where Flynn, Baird and Jenkins were running around in a frenzy, gathering information about this latest disturbance.

"What's going on?" Jake asked as they ran in. Jenkins pointed to the book. Something was making groups of people become stiff as statues for periods of time sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes a lot longer. People were taking pictures and posting them on social media thinking it was another flash mob performance since the people would wake up, go about their business as usual not remembering what happened.

"So far the phenomenon has taken place in L.A., Las Vegas, and Phoenix." Flynn pointed out.

"Now in San Antonio." Cassandra informed them pointing to the new article and pictures that appeared. "There was an occurrence just a few minutes ago."

"So it's hitting cities near the Southern border, look for any books on Mexican or Native American artifacts that could cause this." Flynn instructed. The group fanned out but after a few hours, nothing turned up.

"I don't think that's it." Baird suggested. "Maybe whoever is using this artifact, whatever it is lives in the area and is simply using it close to home. Stone you go check out where this happened in L.A., Ezekiel go to Phoenix , Cassandra you check out San Antonio. Flynn and I will go to Vegas."

"Why can't I go to Vegas?" Ezekiel complained.

"Yeah right. You, in the gaming capital of the world." Flynn smirked. Jenkins prepared the door and sent them each to their destinations, leaving him to sort through the hundreds of pictures now popping up in the clippings book.

"Interesting…" he observed as he put them up on the board.


	11. Chapter 11

They reconvened a day later to present their findings. The witnesses Jake spoke with at The Grove in L.A. told him there were over 100 people at the famous open air shopping district including a well known actor who turned into living statues for about five minutes before returning to normal. Most onlookers thought it was a publicity stunt for the actor's latest film and the studio readily took credit for it. One of them took a picture of the people in their stiffened state from the top floor of the store he was in and gave Jake a copy. They added it to the growing collection of pictures Jenkins had compiled and organized.

Ezekiel, Cassandra, Flynn and Eve had similar stories but the number of frozen people seemed to increase with each new sighting. Nothing was stolen and there seemed to be no lingering effects on the ones who were affected, but with the clippings book urgent shaking to get their attention every few minutes they became more concerned.

"Vexing…" Flynn thought out loud. "So what do we know about people turning into statues?"

"Well there's the Bible story of Lot's wife turning to a pillar of salt when she looked back to their burning home." Jake said.

"And there is a rare medical condition called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva or FOP for short that slowly turns hardens the bones in the affected person's body. It's due to an excess of calcium buildup that eventually make the person stiff as a statue." Cassandra added.

"Keep going." Flynn encouraged.

"Let's not forget Medusa." Ezekiel added. "But if I had something that could freeze people that would have made my former job a lot easier." he joked.

The team became quiet as they tried to think. Jenkins came by with a stack of books for them to look through and each took one. Cassandra glanced at the picture Jake brought back then walked towards the board to get a closer look.

"Cassandra, do you see something?" Baird asked.

She nodded and pointed to the picture. "There's a pattern. See how they are divided? Some all bunched at the bottom then break off into three spikes. It kind of looks like a flame symbol."

They gathered closer to look. "I don't see it." Baird strained her eyes. Cassandra took a marker and outlined the pattern she saw. "Ahh…" They uttered in unison when they saw it.

"It reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on it." Jake ruffled through the other pictures to see if there were anymore overhead shots. He found two more taken in Las Vegas and Phoenix.

"Ok in this one the people are standing in a triangle." Jake said.

Ezekiel picked up the other one. "And this one has them in a rectangle."

Flynn looked up from one ancient book and interrupted them with a loud, "Ah-ha!" They gathered around him.

"The key of Callidora, of course!"

"Who?" Baird asked.

Flynn began to explain. "In ancient Greece there lived a wealthy man named Artemis. He had four beautiful daughters, Callidora, Celadine, Cymone and Chrysanthos. He was cruel and jealous, wanting to keep them from ever leaving him so he had four enchanted keys made for them to keep suitors away. He tied one on each of their wrists and they were unable to remove them. Celadine's key turned her suitor into a bird, Cymone's key turned hers into a dog, Chrysanthos key turned hers into a goat, but for Callidora he fashioned the cruelest key of all. Callidora's key turned her beloved into a statue."

"How is that the worst key? They were all separated from their true loves." Ezekiel argued.

"The others had a companion something to care for, albeit in the form of an animal, but Callidora was headstrong and defiant so her father had her suitor, a brave soldier named Orestus turn to stone. All she could do was look upon his face and long for him."

"How sad." Cassandra said.

"The story ends happily enough. Callidora appealed to Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She was able to unbind the keys from their wrists thus breaking the spell. She took the the keys away and the sisters were reunited with their beloveds. Artemis was sentenced to spend the rest of his life alone, his only companions being a bird, a dog, a goat and a statue of his four daughters to remind him of what he had lost because of his cruelty."

"So someone has found Callidora's key and is using it for what purpose? To pose people in random shapes? It makes no sense." Baird observed.

"You're telling me it makes no sense, because it should be here in the Library with the rest of the keys." He ran to the spot in the Library where they where kept. Only three keys were there.

He came back and told them the bad news. "Lamia!" He shouted all of a sudden, remembering when she and her assassins invaded the Library. Along with the Crown of King Arthur, they took numerous other artifacts.

"But Lamia and Dulaque are dead." Jake said as he looked over at Cassandra. She slunk into a chair and kept her head down.

Jenkins stepped in. "Technically he vanished and is presumed dead."

"So you're saying it could be Dulaque?" Ezekiel asked unwilling to believe it.

"Dulaque… Of course, he always was a trickster, if anyone could find a way out of certain death, he could." Flynn responded.

"Well it seems like he's going through a whole lot of trouble to let us know he is alive. Why?" Baird furrowed her eyebrows deep in thought trying to figure out the mind of this madman.

"And what do these random shapes mean?" Jake asked. "A flame, a triangle and a rectangle." He kept repeating the words to himself. Jenkins and Ezekiel started looking at the pictures again to try to find more patterns, Cassandra quietly slipped out and went back to her room.

She paced the floor, holding her head in her hands trying to shake the feeling of despair coming over her. This was all her fault. The fact that wild magic was in the world again was all on her. In her desperation to be cured she trusted the wrong people, she let them in and she would never be free of the consequences of that act. Dulaque was back. She sat at her desk and wrote two notes, one for the team and another one for Jake as she left the Library through another door.

"Where is the last place Dulaque was known to be headquarted in?" Flynn asked.

"London." Jake answered.

"Ok, that's where we will start. Jones, Eve and I will go to England, Jake you and Cassandra stay here with Jenkins to see what else you can find out from the pictures."

"Alright." Jake said. "Come on Cassie, let's try to figure this out." He turned to where she was sitting. "Cassie?" He went to her room to get her and came back with the letter she had written to the team in his hand. "She's gone."


	12. Chapter 12

"Where did she go?" Ezekiel asked. Jake pulled out the letter and read it to them.

_To Flynn, Col. Baird, Mr. Jenkins, Ezekiel and Jake,_

_Being a Librarian has been one of the best experiences_

_of my life and I will always be grateful for my time here,_

_and to all of you. You gave me a second chance when I_

_betrayed you but I can't help but feel responsible for_

_Dulaque's return and I don't want to be a burden to_

_the team anymore._

_Please accept my resignation effective immediately,_

_Cassandra Cillian_

"That's it. That's all she wrote. She left her copy of the clippings book too." Jake tossed it on the table then balled the letter up and threw it on the floor. They stood around in stunned silence, shaking their heads. "Excuse me." Jake said after a minute and left. In the quiet of his room, he pulled out the letter she wrote to him.

_Jake,_

_Please know that I love you now and always._

_Cassie_

The sound of his fist hitting the table echoed in his room, he felt a surge of heat rising up his spine. His body stiffened as it crept up his neck making the veins stand out and his heart pound furiously. He gave her his trust, his heart and she walked out on it. On them. He started to tear her note up, but instead folded it and placed it in one of his favorite books, a collection of Shakespeare's sonnets. He went back to the main room and pulled up a stool.

"Are you ok?" Baird asked.

"No, but we got work to do so let's go." He avoided their stares and picked up another picture to inspect it.

"Alright, we're off to London. Ezekiel stay with Stone and Jenkins." Baird ordered. Flynn and Eve went through the door.

"Mr. Stone, I'd like a word." Jenkins motioned for Jake to follow him leaving Ezekiel to inspect the newest pictures.

"She will come back, the Library won't let her go so easily."

"I don't get it Jenkins." He shouted. "Why she felt she needed to leave. No one blamed her for what happened except her. It has something to do with that damned necklace. She's convinced our relationship is doomed for failure." He threw his hands up remembering what he said to her after they faced the minotaur. It always went wrong for him at some point. "I don't know, maybe she is right."

"Don't write her off yet." Jenkins patted his shoulder.

"Guys the clippings book is going crazy again." Ezekiel called from the other room.

"Yeah, well I can't think about it right now, something is really bugging me about these pictures." he walked back to the main room.

"There was another occurrence. This time it's in Oklahoma City, capital of your home state, mate." Ezekiel informed them when they came back. Jake felt a cold shiver run through him when he said that as he stared at the latest pictures from the clippings book.

"They're in the shape of a circle now. Flame, triangle, rectangle, circle." He paced back and forth pulling at the spikes in his hair. "I know what it is!" He ran to a shelf near the back and pulled out a book. He quickly turned to the page. "It's the Soyombo symbol on the Mongolian flag. You see? Fire means growth, wealth and success, the circle represents the sun symbolizing eternity, the rectangles represent strength and the triangles represent the point of a spear representing the defeat of their enemies."

"Ok, but what does that tell us about the statue people?" Ezekiel scratched his head in confusion.

"Dulaque is sending a message. He means to defeat us." Jake said.

"How odd. This isn't his style, he's usually more direct." Jenkins commented.

"I guess almost dying has made him more cautious?" Ezekiel attempted an explanation.

Jake stared at the pictures, rifling through them to find another clue, any clue. He found a blurry picture of a homeless man holding a sign near the living statues.

"It looks like your run of the mill 'will work for food signs'." Ezekiel dismissed it.

"Except that it's in another language." Jenkins showed Jake another picture with another homeless man with a sign near the frozen people.

"I can't make it out. Jones can you scan it and sharpen it up?"

"Sure." He replied. "Can you make it out now?" He projected the images on the screen and sharpened the blurry pictures as best he could.

Jake was a master of many languages, but he couldn't be sure what it was. The three men worked long into the night trying to find more homeless men holding signs. They found three more but it had been a long day and they decided to take a break for the night.

Jake felt sore and went to take a shower, the warm water helped ease his muscles. He pulled on a pair of lounge pants when he finished then stretched out on the bed to relax a bit. He started to get up to study the pictures again but exhaustion took over and soon he was asleep.

Cassandra met him in his dream. He smiled as she came closer, but she walked right past him and toward a homeless man holding a sign. "What is it Cassie? What do you see?" Her gaze remained fixed straight ahead and she began to speak a foreign language, one he didn't recognize at first.

She then turned to him. "hurry…" she disappeared in a fog.

"Cassie!" He cried out to her and woke up. Jake broke out in a cold sweat and went to his drafting table where he left the pictures. He stared at them, willing them to change or speak, anything to help him solve this mystery. He recalled the words she said in the foreign language and spelled them out phonetically then repeated them to himself. A minute later he knew. He banged on Ezekiel's door to wake him up, then ran to the main room and cried out for Jenkins, who was still up. He came out of the back room startled by the his clamoring.

"It's a form of ancient Mongolian, a dialect once used by Ghengis Khan. I made out the words on this picture. _A man's greatest work." _He was almost breathless as he spoke.

"What's going on?" Ezekiel came in his shirt and hair disheveled and yawning.

"_A man's greatest work is to break his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all the things that have been theirs, to hear the weeping of those who cherished them. _That's a quote from Ghenghis Khan." Jake was shaking his, eyes wild as his mind was spinning. "This is not Dulaque." He said.

"Who is it then?" Jenkins asked.

"It's my uncle Roy."


	13. Chapter 13

Victoria and Gerald Cillian met their daughter at the airport. It was the first time in six years she had been back to Connecticut and the second time they spoke in as many years.

"There she is." They ran to embrace her. The outpouring of affection they showed her overwhelmed Cassandra. She even thought she saw a tear in her father's eye.

"Oh my dear you look wonderful, doesn't she Gerald?" He shook his head in agreement.

"You packed quite a lot for a short trip." He joked as he put the third bag in the trunk.

"I thought I might stay awhile until I figure things out if that's ok."

"Of course honey. You stay as long as you want." Victoria Cillian hugged her daughter and helped her in the car…

"Miss Cillian? Miss Cillian. We've landed." The flight attendant nudged her to wake her up.

"Oh. Sorry." Cassandra yawned and gave her a sheepish grin as she got up and walked off the airplane.

Mr. Swain, the Cillian family butler was there to meet her as she came down the escalators to the baggage claim area. She was disappointed but not surprised. She had hoped when she called her parents to ask if she could visit they would have come as well, but they were busy people, important people. It was a nice dream anyway.

They pulled up the brick driveway to the mansion at the end of the street and Mr. Swain helped her out. "Nothing's changed. Everything looks... perfect." She said as she glanced around. He got the bags while she went inside. Georgia, their cook and her former nanny was there to greet her.

"Cassandra, you look lovely as ever. Are you hungry? I can make you something in two shakes."

"Sure." She answered and followed her to the kitchen. She looked around the museum she called home growing up. Everything was in just the right place, from the grand piano angled in the sitting room, the carefully arranged flowers in the foyer to the antiques and artwork that filled the rooms. "Jake would have a great time here looking at all this old stuff." She said to herself trying to see them from his eyes.

She sat at the end of the massive island and watched Georgia move with skilled ease getting everything she needed. "Mmm, I forgot how good your BLT's taste." She said as she took her first bite into the lofty sandwich. She heard her mother's voice barking orders to Mr. Swain then the familiar click of her high heels on the marble floor.

"Georgia, I'm having three guests for dinner tonight." She said while looking at her mail. She looked up and saw her daughter sitting there with an expectant smile. "Oh goodness, Cassandra, I forgot you where coming. Well make it four then." She gave her daughter the once over. "You look thin. And pale. What have you been doing these past five years, not at that awful hospital as a janitor still I hope." She approached her daughter and gave her a slight squeeze and an air kiss.

"I work for the Metropolitan Library now, the branch in Oregon. It's a pretty neat job."

"Really?" She seemed interested. "What do you do there?" Cassandra was tempted to tell her all about the Library and magic and how she and her team helped save the world on a regular basis but she thought better of it. One, she had keep it a secret, and two, her mother wouldn't believe it and give her the look of pity she hated so much. Besides she had just tendered her resignation so she didn't work there anymore.

"I… uhh, help the other Librarians put the books back in their place." Her mother looked at her with a disappointed smirk.

"Sounds lovely dear."

"So where's Daddy?" She changed the subject.

"Your father is away on a conference. He'll be here tomorrow."

Dinner was a boring affair with her mother and her business clients talking shop the entire night. Whenever Cassandra tried to enter the conversation, her mother would brush her off, not wanting her to go into one of her spells as she called them. She excused herself before dessert and went out to the back patio to sit and gaze at the stars.

As a child, she loved sitting out there and trace out the different constellations. At age 10, she won every math and science competition meant for high school and college age students. Victoria and Gerald were the proudest parents and the local media couldn't get enough of this darling little redhead who could recite the periodic table in a minute flat and solve complex mathematical problems in her head.

Her parents encouraged her and argued playfully about her future. "She'll find the cure for cancer." Said her father, a renowned scientist. "No, she will be a tycoon by the time she is 18." Said her mother, a successful businesswoman. By 16, her grasp of quantum physics and rocket science had the press dubbing her the new Einstein.

When the tumor was discovered, they were naturally afraid for their daughter and sought every option to save her life. Once they found that is was inoperable but very slow growing they were relieved, knowing that she could still have a normal life but the rest of the news devastated them. "The tumor is pressing on the part of the brain that deals with memory, that is what is giving her that photographic memory that makes her so good at recalling facts and figures." The neurosurgeon told them.

Fearing that the press would brand them as charlatans, her parents quietly withdrew Cassandra from any further competitions and moved from California to Connecticut. They took all the trophies she had won and had them put away and was never allowed to enter any more competitions. She went to a regular school and when her brain started to make her automatically spew out information they chalked it up to the ramblings of a mentally unstable child. When she was 20, her parents decided she should move out, Cassandra agreed and never looked back. She took the first job she found and would have stayed, if not for the Library.

The memories of that time came back in a rush. She tried to outline the constellations to forget but her vision was blurry from the tears now falling freely down her cheeks. She thought about Jake and hoped he would understand. Her loneliness engulfed her and she wished she could go back but the deed was done. She resigned and there was no returning.

As she got up to go inside, she stiffened, her brain started to dissect the pictures she had seen back at the Library. She talked so loudly that her mother's guests came outside to see what was the matter. Victoria tried to play it off, but as Cassandra continued spilling out information, her increasingly loud chattering and the wild look in her eyes unnerved the guests. She grabbed her and shook her to wake her from her trance, enraged that her daughter was embarrassing her in front of important clients.

"Stop it right this minute!" She slapped Cassandra's face. She recoiled from the pain and blinked back to reality. Victoria called for Georgia to take her to her room while she tried to salvage her business dinner. After the guests left she went to see her daughter. Cassandra was running down the stairs.

"Do you realize what you almost did? Thank God I managed to save the evening once I told them about the tumor. They felt so sorry for you that I got them to sign the contract. I guess your idiotic ramblings were good for something for once." She said with triumph. She noticed the bags by the door. "Where do you think you are going this time of night?"

"I'm sorry, you won't understand and I don't have time to explain. I have to go mother." She gave her a quick hug and got in the car. Mr. Swain took her to the airport. " I have to get to them in time. Oh why did I leave in the first place? I hope Jake can forgive me."


	14. Chapter 14

"How do you know it's your uncle?" Ezekiel asked. "The clipping book would have let us know if any magic was being used where he is locked up, right?" He looked to Jenkins for an explanation.

"I don't know how he did it but he is behind this. The last time we spoke he told me Ghengis Khan was one of his heroes, he was an avid student of his tactics." Jake reminded them. "He wants to show us how smart he is."

"That is impossible Mr. Stone, I cleared his memories of the Library with the water from the Sea of lost memories." Jenkins told them.

"We shall see. Jenkins I need to get to Montana."

"Fine, you and I will go, Mr. Jones I need you to stay and break into the computer at the facility he is at. Find out what you can about what he has been up to since he was here."

They arranged for a car in Billings and drove a half hour to the Three Lakes facility for the criminally insane. They met with Col. Evan Turner the administrative director, and a good friend of Col. Baird. "So what brings you gentlemen here to see Mr. Reinhallt?" he asked.

Jake and Jenkins hesitated searching for a plausible story. "I am a colleague of Col. Baird. She told us where we could find him. He is an old friend of mine and this is his nephew." Jenkins finally said. Better to keep it simple he thought since they couldn't get their cover story straight when they were on their way there.

After a long pause, Col. Turner gave them one command before he took them to his cell. "Do not engage him in his story about the crime he committed. He enjoys retelling it in great detail and he will attempt to drag you into his twisted world. If he tries to do so, change the subject or end the visit." They agreed and were led down a corridor and to a visiting room divided by a glass partition.

Roy did not seem to recognize his visitors. "Do you know who we are? Jake asked.

"No but you do look familiar…" Roy furrowed his brows, trying to think.

"My name is Jake Stone, I'm your nephew."

"You must be Jed's son then. It's so nice to meet someone from the family. How is everyone? Nobody ever comes to see me here, I guess they think I'm a little crazy." He let out a high pitched giggle then rubbed his arm.

"So what brings you here to visit me? Something is wrong with your father. Is that it?"

Jenkins gave Jake a smug look, pleased that his memory wipe worked. Jake was not convinced.

"No nothing is wrong. I just wanted to meet you."

"So tell me Jake do I look like the monster your father and your aunt think I am?"

"He's never told me anything about you."

"Now I find that hard to believe, why else would you come. Did he tell you why I am locked up here?"

"We know about the statue people and the quote you embedded Roy." Jake whispered to him watching his response carefully for any sign of acknowledgement. He wished Cassandra was there to help, she would have been able to detect any subtle signs of lying.

"What are you are talking about? Say maybe it's you who belongs in here and not me." He giggled and started rubbing his arm again.

"Listen you son of a…"

"Mr. Stone, let's go he doesn't know anything." Jenkins motioned for them to leave.

"Jenkins, he is behind this I can feel it." Jake was fuming as they were escorted back to the director's office.

"You're back early." Col. Turner looked at his watch. "It's only been three minutes."

"Wasn't much to talk about." Jake sounded defeated. "He keeps rubbing his arm is there something wrong with it?" He asked knowing where it must have come from; the slash wound he gave him during their sword fight when Jake and Roy were under the spell of the crystal.

"There was an incident, but that was minor and happened about four months ago." Col. Turner rubbed his chin thinking. "He was in his cell and when the guard checked in on him for the night he saw that he was bleeding. He had a large cut on his arm and no one could figure out how he got it since there are no sharp objects allowed in his room and no blood was found on anything else."

"We took him to the infirmary and had him stitched up by the doctor on duty, a new doc named Myrna Page."

"Is she here? Can we speak with her? Maybe she can help us." Jake asked.

"She is, but why do you need her help? What are you not telling me?" Col. Turner asked, confused by their worried expressions. "I can attest to the fact that except for that one incident, he has not left his cell since Col. Baird last asked me to keep an eye on him."

Both men remained silent. Jenkins tapped Jake and motioned for them to leave. "Of course Colonel. Well we won't tie up any more of your time." They shook hands and left.

After they left Colonel Turner walked down the corridor and stopped in front of Roy's door. He watched as Roy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms as his lips curled into a malevolent grin. Why is everyone so interested in you he thought as he opened the door to the cell.

"What the hell was that Jenkins? We need to talk to that doctor." Jake shouted at him once they were outside.

"Of course we do but what reason could we have given the warden? We can't very well tell him about what happened four months ago. No, we'll wait until she comes out and talk to her off the record."

Two hours passed and there was no movement in or out. Jenkins suggested they get something to eat but Jake refused. He stared at the door afraid that if he looked away, their only possible lead might slip through their hands. "We only have one shot at this Jenkins. Col. Turner is not going to let us back in until we give him some answers."

At 7:30 P.M. the door opened as the first shift was leaving for the night. Jake got out and asked a few employees about Dr. Page. One of them pointed to a tall, pretty brunette who looked to be in her late 40's. He approached her as she was getting into her car.

"Excuse me, Dr. Page…" Jake flashed his boyish smile.

"Yes?" She looked at him as if she recognized him. "Have we met before?"

"Roy Lee Reinhallt is my uncle if that helps."

"Ah yes, I see the resemblance. How can I help you?"

"Can I ask you some questions about him? I'm helping my friend over there." He pointed to Jenkins who was in the car looking very serious as he was trying to finish his crossword puzzle. "He's working toward his PhD in psychiatry and my uncle is the subject of his dissertation."

"Well maybe you should talk to his psychiatrist then, I'm a medical doctor."

"Yes ma'am, we did but what he is interested in is how he interacts with other people."

His pleading eyes swayed her and her curiosity was piqued as she looked at the silver haired gentleman. "I always was a sucker for a man in a bow tie. Alright follow me to a great little diner I know and we can talk."

Jake got back in the car and informed Jenkins of the plan. They arrived at _Sadie's_ _Place_ fifteen minutes later. Jake made the introductions as they walked in. He noticed a glint in Jenkins eyes and the smile on her face as he opened the door and suddenly felt like a third wheel.

Jake and Jenkins sat across from Dr. Page as they took their seats at a booth. The waitress handed them menus. Jenkins shifted in his seat and cleared his throat as he studied his.

"Myrna, that's a lovely name, you don't hear it too much anymore." He began.

Jake rolled his eyes. Really, you're gonna lead with that? He thought to himself.

Dr. Page smiled. "My mother had a thing for the Thin Man movies. She named my twin brother William after William Powell and Myrna Loy is my namesake."

"Gotta love Nick and Nora." Jenkins replied his eyes fully admiring her as he gave her his undivided attention.

"So how can I help you gentlemen?" She asked.


	15. Chapter 15

"Some reunion. Lasted all of three minutes." Col. Turner said.

"Wasn't much to talk about." Roy sat up.

"Funny, your nephew said the same thing. I thought you'd be happy to see someone from your family." Col. Turner took a long look at the man sitting in front of him wondering what to make of him. When he took over as director of the prison ten years ago, one of his duties was to read the psychiatric reports of the inmates and monitor their visitors. He took a special interest in Roy who had been there since he was 16 years old, the youngest inmate ever. Every year Roy wrote a letter to his family and gave it to his only visitor Thomas Wynn, to deliver but and every year the letters went unanswered.

He never seemed upset by the lack of a response and was always polite and pleasant to everyone he came in contact with. According to the reports and transcripts from his visits, Thomas revealed very little to Roy about his family only saying they were safe from him and he would never see them again. His therapists said he always held out hope that a family reunion would happen and they would finally welcome him as the favored son. Forty-eight years later he still talked about seeing them again. Col. Turner almost felt sorry for him, but that was part of his evil charm and the reason why he had almost constant guards. He got up to leave. "Col. Turner, I wonder if you would do me a favor." He held out an envelope and as he pressed the letter in his hand, Roy got just close enough to whisper in his ear…

"We understand Roy was brought to the infirmary about four months ago for treatment. Can you tell us what happened?" Jake asked Dr. Page.

"He had a long cut on his arm, not anything life threatening but it was unusual in that it was a clean cut like from a knife instead of a more jagged wound you'd expect if it was from, say, cutting it on his bed spring or with a home made weapon. There was no knife found anywhere near him and no one could say how it got there, not even Roy himself." She answered. "I stitched him up and sent him back, then re-examined it a week later to make sure it was well healed."

"How did he behave? Was he sullen, nervous, angry or even violent?" Jenkins asked.

"No, he was in a cheerful mood and pleasant. His guards Earl and Luis had been assigned to him for a few months and the three seemed more like friends. According to Luis he was a favorite among the guards, always quick with a joke or a funny story."

"Interesting. Was there anything else you noticed about him?"

"Well, when I did a full exam, I noticed he had a circular mark on the back of his neck. When I asked about it he put his hand over it and said it was from a mosquito bite. That's all I remember, I hope that helps you. I haven't seen or spoken to him since."

"Yes it does, thank you so much. I guess the next thing would be to talk to Earl and Luis." Jake excused himself to make a phone call.

Jenkins finished writing in his notebook, looked up and smiled at her. He took a quick sip of his water trying to think of some small talk to engage her in. "So what brought you to Three Lakes? You look more like a physician who would have a lucrative practice in Manhattan, or Los Angeles than a country doctor." He quickly apologized for being so forward.

"Don't apologize, you are very perceptive Dr. Jenkins. I have a private practice in Seattle and it is doing well, but I ah… I…" she hesitated and swallowed as she continued. "I took some time off to be close to my brother. He is an inmate here. He's 25 years old, a paranoid schizophrenic. He was doing so well but then…" She looked down at the table and kept pressing the folds of her napkin.

"No need for explanations." Jenkins took her hand. She looked up and smiled, thankful for that bit of understanding. The waitress came over to take their orders.

Jake got back to the table to find a lighthearted Jenkins and Myrna talking like two old friends, laughing and telling stories about their lives.

They finished their meals and Jenkins walked her to her car. "Thank you for the stimulating conversation. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Maybe we can do it again sometime." She gave him her card.

"Yes, that would be lovely." He took her hand and touched it to his lips, then watched as she drove away.

"She seemed nice." Jake opined when he got in their car.

"Yes." Was Jenkins' only response. He opened his notebook to read the notes he had taken, trying to hide his smile and ignoring the sappy look the younger Librarian was giving him, his eyes begging for details.

"I think Abigail would be happy for you." Jake said after they drove in silence for a few minutes.

Jenkins took his reading glasses off and looked at him, not sure if he should be angry at him or agree. "What makes you think I am interested in her, other than in a professional capacity." He sneered at his presumptuousness.

"I'm just sayin', it's been what 165 years since you had a date?"

Jenkins started to respond when Jake's phone rang. It was Ezekiel with some preliminary information about the guards.

"Earl Cooper and Luis Espinosa, both employed for over ten years at Three Lakes. Good workers, no blemishes on their records but get this. I found an interesting coincidence about these two. Earl was in Los Angeles recently on vacation and Luis just came back from a trip to Las Vegas. That's where our first two statue people groups were found."

"That is interesting, keep looking we'll be back within the hour." Jake instructed him and hung up.

"Alright let's see what else you two have been up to…" Ezekiel banged on the computer keyboard. He heard a knock on the front door and got up to see who would be knocking at this time of night.

"Cassandra? You're back!" He exclaimed.

She rushed in and looked around for the others. "Where's Jake, I have to warn him."


	16. Chapter 16

Jake came through the door first and headed straight for Ezekiel. "Anything new on our guys?" His eyes fixated on the computer screen.

"No nothing, I thought they might appear in the pictures but I can't find them anywhere even with the facial recognition software I have. I think we hit a dead end mate."

Jake slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "I was so sure he was behind all this." He straightened as he heard a voice coming from the back of the room, speaking a foreign language, the one he heard in his dream.

"Cassie." He felt heat rising in his body, making the veins on his neck protrude. He turned to face her wanting to be angry at her for leaving but instead he felt a wave of relief mixed with the desire to take her in his arms and plant a big kiss on her lips. His desire soon turned to sadness and resignation. He mustered all his strength to keep his emotions in check.

She started to shake her head, rubbing it as the pain became more intense. He was there to catch her when she fell and helped her to a chair while Ezekiel went to get some water. "I spoke those words in a vision I had of you, but you couldn't understand what I was saying. I don't what they mean, but the phrase keeps playing over and over in my mind. It's a warning that much I know. I came back to tell you that."

"And I saw you in a dream saying those exact words to me. It helped me figure out what it meant. It's a quote from Genghis Khan in ancient Mongolian." He started to smile at he but caught himself. He grasped at a picture on the table and pretended to inspect it.

"Interesting…" Jenkins muttered to himself as he turned to go to his workroom.

"What does it mean?" She asked.

"It was Khan's philosophy on how to destroy his enemies, I thought my uncle Roy was behind it because of his obsession with ruthless warriors, but when we went to the prison where he is being held, everything was in order." Jake began to pace the floor, pulling at the spikes in his hair.

"But?" she asked.

"But I have this feeling in my gut that I can't shake loose."

"And I told you, Mr. Stone, the water from the Sea of Lost Memories did its job, I guarantee it." Jenkins reminded them before he left the room.

The phenomenon of the statue people stopped as quickly as it began. Almost a month passed and the clippings book no longer shook violently with stories about people stilled into random patterns. Flynn and Baird came back with no answers, but there were plenty of other magical items to be retrieved from the wrong hands, so the team decided to table this mystery for the present.

"It seems we are dealing with a prankster." Flynn explained. "And since there hasn't been any harm other than a few people with stiff joints, I think it's best if we tackle the other more serious cases the clippings book is showing us. We'll catch him or her in due time."

Everyone especially Jake welcomed Cassandra back with open arms but things were different. He asked for no explanations and she felt hesitant to bring it up her leaving. Jake remained cordial, friendly, even laughed with her as they talked about cases, but gone were their long talks, the comfort of his arms around her, his soft kiss goodnight, and his crinkly smile whenever she walked in the room. She missed that smile most of all because it made her realize it was over. He was a good man who deserved better than a flighty synesthete with a time bomb in her head. The Camope necklace was right and as much as she grieved and wished it were not so, she had to face the truth.

She elected not to go on any cases for the moment. Jake and Ezekiel left for India to investigate a levitating Buddhist monk with fortune telling abilities, Flynn and Baird set off for Canada to see about a man with a box that granted wishes with a strange twist, while she was content to spend her days researching and working alone.

"You still love her anyone can see that." Ezekiel confronted Jake while they were in a hotel bar waiting for the monk's presentation to begin.

"Yeah I do but what difference does it make? Cassie is convinced we are headed for failure. She told me that before she left and I don't know what to do to convince her otherwise. Maybe it's for the best anyway, emotions tend to cloud decisions we have to make on the job and I kind of want to keep this one for awhile." He nursed the drink he had in his hand staring blankly at the stage. The announcer came out to greet the audience and asked them to take their seats.

"Come on Jones we don't want to miss this." Jake pulled him off the barstool as they joined the rest.

Jenkins watched as Cassandra wandered aimlessly through the library shelves picking up a book and putting it back, nothing held her interest for long. He thought he would never admit it but he missed her bubbly chattering and her childlike appreciation for all things magical. One morning she sat in the workroom taking notes while he worked on another artifact. "You know Miss Cillian, I find it interesting that you and Mr. Stone shared the same subconscious thought about the statue case."

Cassandra's eyes perked up at him and she put down her little notebook to listen. "We did what?" she asked.

"You shared a dream or a vision at around the same time. In your vision you tried to warn him, and in his dream he heard your warning, in fact it helped him to solve part of the puzzle."

"What are you trying to say Mr. Jenkins?" She felt her heart race and her face flush.

"It means you two are connected, there is a force binding the two of you together."

"I'd like to believe that." She said with a sad smile. "But I betrayed him once, and I know he feels that I betrayed him again by leaving. He tries to act as if every thing is ok, but he is different, I hurt him too deeply. I don't think he will give me another chance, I see it in his eyes." She got up and walked to the other room and noticed the clipping book was shaking violently.

She walked over and looked at the page. There wasn't an article posted, it was a letter written directly on the page. "Mr. Jenkins!" Cassandra shrieked, her voice desperate.

"That's impossible." He cupped his hand over his mouth. "The clippings book never writes its own stories. Good Lord." he gasped as he read it. Another statue occurrence. In Montana.

"Come on!" He attached the cables to the back door and soon they were in Billings. They got a cab to Three Lakes prison and went inside.

There was an eerie quiet as they walked in. They went to see Col. Turner. He was in his office at his desk, his body turned to stone as he was about to drink his coffee. Others were posed in their various states of work. "Myrna." He cried out as he ran to the infirmary. She was there along with Earl and Luis. Earl was knocked to the ground while Luis had a gun pointed at someone. Myrna had her hand stretched out as if trying to reason with whoever faced her. Roy's cell was open and empty, the number of guards on the floor gave silent testimony of their valiant attempt to stop him.

Jenkins quickly called Jake on his phone but got no answer. He left a frantic voice message and he and Cassandra raced back to the door. Once they were in the Library, he reset the door for Jake's hometown. "Keep trying to reach him!" Cassandra shouted as she disappeared through the door.


	17. Chapter 17

"Hello! Is anyone there?" Cassandra yelled as she banged on Jed's door. There was no answer so she headed for Billy and Amy's house.

"Cassandra." Amy opened the door, saw the panicked expression on her face and feared the worst. "What's wrong? Oh God no, it's Jake. He's been in an accident."

"No he is fine, but your family is in danger, you have to get them as far away from here as possible." She walked in the house looking around. "Where is everyone?"

Amy followed her inside, a confused look on her face. "The boys are in school and Billy is at the refinery. Emma is sick today, she's upstairs, asleep. What's going on, what do you mean we are in danger? Where is Jake?"

"I don't have a lot of time to explain, but you need to believe me. Your life, all of your lives are in danger. Get your family, Libby and her family, Josh and Jed and come with me please." She pleaded grabbing her by the arm.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on." She shook Cassandra's hand off her, crossed her arms and positioned herself in a defiant stance.

"No, no, no… not now." Cassandra pleaded with herself. She felt like her head was on fire as her brain began to take over. Her knees became weak and she tried to balance herself to no avail. She woke up to find Libby and Amy standing over her. "What happened?" A damp towel fell from her forehead as she tried to sit up. The two women coaxed her back down.

"You started talking about Genghis Khan, then you went off in some weird language. You are really acting crazy and I gotta say you are scaring us right now." Libby explained.

"I'm sorry for that. My brain is wired kind of funny. I have a photographic memory and it sometimes likes to spill out information at strange times. Like when I am stressed." She half confessed.

"So we are ok, we're not in danger?" Amy asked.

"No you are. We have to talk to Jed, can you get a hold of him?" Amy nodded and left the room. Cassandra got up and tried Jake's number again. No answer.

"Ok, he, Billy and Josh are coming." Amy informed her as she hung up the phone. "You mind telling us what's goin' on and where is Jake, why isn't he here with you?"

"I'll explain everything once Jed comes, he'll be able to fill in the rest of the story."

Tense minutes passed while they waited. Cassandra paced the floor knowing they wouldn't believe her unless she divulged information about the Library. "Ok, well... We have the water to erase their memories again so it should be alright. Mr. Jenkins and Flynn will understand." She reasoned out loud to herself while Libby and Amy exchanged curious looks with each other as they watched her. She jumped when she heard the screech of tires outside the window. Jed got out of his truck and Josh and Billy got out of Billy's.

Once they were settled, Cassandra directed her comment at Jed. "Roy is out and coming here." Jed's face turned ashen with fear. He became limp and dropped to the sofa, covering his face with his hands.

"Dad what's wrong, who is Roy?" Billy asked.

"Roy is your uncle and my twin brother. He's in Montana, locked up in a prison for the criminally insane since he was sixteen. He killed six people by burning them alive in their home and tortured a dog to death before he got caught." The Stone children were shocked in stunned silence, trying to process what they just heard. Amy held on to her husband crying softly in his arms, and Libby grabbed onto her brother.

"Ok, so how does this affect us?" Josh asked. "Surely the police know about him escaping and are on his trail."

"No they don't know yet." Cassandra said. "He was able to escape undetected. He is a very dangerous man with a very dangerous weapon, so we didn't call in the police yet."

"Who is 'we' and how do you know this? You're just an assistant librarian, you're not a cop." Josh shook his head in disbelief.

Cassandra swallowed hard as she looked at their confused and shocked faces. Here goes she thought and began to explain. "You've heard about the stories of the people who have been frozen like statues?"

"Yeah, one was a publicity stunt and the others were flash mobs. What does that have to do with us?" Josh asked.

"No, they weren't stunts, it was magic. Jake and I are part of a society that works to keep magic out of the wrong hands. We go all over the world to find magical artifacts that are being misused and bring them back to the Library for safe keeping. He is in India right now on a case and we are trying to get him back here, but we haven't been able to reach him. That's why I came."

"Ok this is crazy, you are crazy. Jake is an oil worker, not some knock off Indiana Jones. Right Dad?" Billy said as he looked to his father.

Jed ignored his son and addressed Cassandra. "How does Roy even know we are here? Momma made sure that information was always kept secret from him and we never read or responded to any of the letters the prison sent us." Jed replied.

"He has been here before." She replied and told them the whole account of Dulaque, Lamia aka Wilma Farber and Thomas Wynn. She told them about Emma's kidnapping and rescue and how they used magic to erase their memories to protect them and the Library.

"You really expect us to believe that story? You have a lot of nerve lady. Get out!" Billy rose up, went to the door and opened it motioning for her to leave.

"No Daddy, she is telling the truth!" Emma came running down the stairs and stood in between her and her father. She looked up at Cassandra and smiled. "How is Mr. Jenkins? And Ezekiel?"

It was Cassandra's turn to be stunned. Her eyes widened as she looked at the pint sized genius with her mop of curly hair and big smile. Jed got up and faced his family.

"You heard the lady, we need to go. Now." Everyone started to scramble in different directions.

"We have to drive to Tulsa, the door to the Library is there." She told them.

"It's a magic door." Emma informed them as if everyone should know about magic doors being used for travel.

Libby went to get her husband Wyatt and their children, Amy left to pick up her boys, and Josh called Shannon. Once everyone was ready they got in their trucks to follow Cassandra.

"Grandpa, can I ride with you?" Emma hopped in and shut the passenger door, not waiting for an answer.

"Ok sweet heart, but I gotta make a quick pit stop first." He waved everyone else ahead and turned for his house. "Go on, I'll catch up."

Cassandra led the caravan a half mile down the road when a large truck blocked their way. She honked the horn, the driver got out and walked toward them.

"What seems to be the problem Miss?" He asked. Cassandra gasped as she recognized him. He pulled out a shotgun and motioned for them to get out.

"He's an old man." Billy whispered to Josh and Wyatt. "We can take him." The trio began to lunge at him. A shot in the air stopped them dead in their tracks. With a malevolent smile, he pulled a chain he wore around his neck from under his shirt. He held the up the key attached to it then touched it to Billy's truck. It quickly turned to stone. Audible gasps and children crying where heard next.

"That's nothin'." exclaimed Shane, not wanting to show his fear.

"Shut up." His brother Travis shoved him.

"Now I don't want to hurt any of you, so just get in the truck if you please." He grabbed Cassandra's arm. "You come with me in the front." He then opened the back door and filed them in and locked it. He had her drive the truck back to Billy's house. Once they were inside he had them sit down. He smiled as he gazed upon his family for the first time.

"I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Roy Lee Reinhallt, Jed's brother."


	18. Chapter 18

"Easy buddy, we got you." Jake helped the old man up. The audience who had been enjoying his performance and leaving huge sums of money at his feet now ran away in fear. The monk had levitated to the top of the ceiling to end his performance and as he drifted down his body started to contort itself and shake violently as if he was having a seizure. He fell to the floor, his lifeless body now in the middle of the ornate ballroom.

"What happened?" he asked in a thick Indian accent. He looked at his shriveled hands and arms and screamed.

"You were under a spell." Ezekiel showed him a smooth, round iridescent gem that revealed what looked like an eyeball inside. "This is what was controlling you."

"It's the all seeing eye of Lochan." Jake explained. "It gave you great power but it was draining your life away. You aged about twenty years right in front of our eyes."

The monk started to cry uncontrollably. "What a fool I was to trust this magic. I thought I could help my fellow brothers and my community but instead I summoned a demon and now I have paid the price."

The man who was in his mid thirties, now looked like a man in his nineties with all the frailties the advanced age brought with it. "How can I go back to the monastery? They will never forgive my arrogance." He buried his face in his withered hands.

"Not so." A middle aged monk, head clean shaven and dressed in a bright orange robe stepped forward and took him by the hand. "Come brother, we have been searching for you for many months now. All is forgiven." He embraced him and was soon joined by ten other monks who gathered around him to offer comfort. As they helped him out of the costume he was in and back in his monastic clothes, their leader addressed Jake and Ezekiel. "I trust that you will know what to do with that…Librarians." He bowed to them then rejoined his brothers helping their friend away.

"Ok, that was easy." Ezekiel grinned.

"You call that easy? I had to fight six or seven big goons not to mention the head evil dude who tried to kill me with a viper to keep his cash cow from escaping. And what did you do?" Jake growled at him as he straightened his shirt and wiped blood from his mouth. Ezekiel grimaced at his disheveled partner.

"I am a world class thief doing what I do best, I managed to pluck the gem from his turban while he was levitating. And I might add we were a pretty good 15 feet off the ground." He played with the gem, tossing it up and catching it.

"Yeah, well don't hold on to that thing too long or you will be its next victim." Jake reminded him. He covered it with a napkin and they made their way to the door that led them back to the Library.

"Jenkins, we got a hot one here." Jake called out. The caretaker ran out from the back his face drawn, his body shaking. "What happened to you? I tried to call you incessantly and I couldn't get through."

"Sorry, bad cell reception I guess." Jake checked his phone. "Wow! Two hundred calls. What was so important?"

"Mr. Stone, I have to apologize to you. It appears you were right about your uncle."

"What?" Jake looked at him his eyes burning with fury.

"There was another statue phenomenon. This time at Three Lakes Prison in Montana. When Miss Cillian and I got there, everyone was frozen, and Roy was gone. We think he is headed to your hometown to meet the family and settle some scores. Miss Cillian went to warn them, last I heard she was bringing them to the Library to keep them safe but they should have been here a half hour ago.

Jake said nothing as he hooked up the cables and set the door. "I am very sorry for this. The water is powerful magic it should have worked and I used double the amount for him."

"Not now Jenkins, I gotta go."

"I'll come with you mate." Ezekiel handed the gem off to Jenkins who put it in a jar for safekeeping.

"I informed Flynn and Col Baird. As soon as they come we will join you." Jenkins replied.

The truck was not in its usual spot when they came through in Tulsa. "Cassie must have taken it." He looked around for another vehicle. "We need something that won't bring any attention to us." He checked a couple of old trucks to see if one had an unlocked door.

"Leave it to me." Ezekiel said and a few minutes later he drove up in a fancy red Ferrari."

"Really, can you be more obvious?" Jake shook his head as he got in.

"Come on, it's fast and that's what we need right now. Besides I borrowed it." He waved to the car's pretty blonde owner as they drove past. Jake tried to speak but the words were stuck in his throat, his mouth agape.

"It's amazing the things you can learn at the Library." He smirked as he put the car in gear and sped off.

"Ok, I told you who I am now who are all of you?" Roy asked. "Where is my sister Lucille? And my twin Jed? I really miss him." He became impatient when no one answered. "You know what I can do, so I suggest you treat me like a loving family member."

"Aunt Lucille moved to Nebraska. She died a few years ago, her children still live there." Billy replied and stood up. "We're Jed's children. I'm Billy Stone. This is my wife Amy and our two sons, Travis and Shane." He deliberately left out Emma, silently praying that she and Jed would be able to get help.

Josh got up next and introduced his fiancé Shannon. "I do love weddings. I hope you will invite me as your guest of honor." He hinted.

"Uh-uh… Of course Uncle Roy." The young man cowered as Roy's steely blue eyes glared at him.

"I'm Libby Hunter, this is my husband Wyatt and our children, A.J., Charlie and Elizabeth." Roy took the sleeping baby out of her arms. Libby stifled a tear as she surrendered her. Wyatt stood up to protect his daughter, Roy quickly took the key and touched it to his hand. They watched in terror as he became frozen in position.

"You know what can happen to statues if they fall, so I suggest you move him out of my way." Billy and Josh picked him up, and laid him gently down on the floor.

"So where is the rest of the family?" Baby Elizabeth began to cry, Libby started to get up to take her, but Amy grabbed her and held her down.

"No one else?" Roy asked. "Don't tell me my dear brother is dead too. That wouldn't be any fun."

"No sir no one." He lied.

Roy faced him with a malevolent grin. "Hmm… Are you sure?" He took out his key again and dangled it in front of the baby. He pointed to Cassandra. "Suppose you tell me who is missing here."

"Jed and Jake, his oldest son are not here." She said looking at Amy's pleading eyes not to tell him about her daughter.

"There is still one more." He held the key closer to the baby.

"No please." Libby cried.

"It's Emma, my daughter! Now leave that baby alone, she is an innocent." Amy shouted, tears filled her angry eyes.

"I like a woman with spirit." He touched her with the key.

"Momma." Emma cried from outside the window. Roy looked around the room as if her heard her. Jed quickly covered her mouth and crouched down.

"No more outbursts you hear me." He scolded her. She nodded and held her mouth closed to stop herself from crying. "It's ok sweet heart, Grandpa is going to take care of this. I'm gonna try to get a clean shot, but he's got the baby in his arms and my aim isn't what it used to be." He put the shotgun down for a second to wipe his brow. As he raised it again, He saw that Roy was no longer visible in the room. He arched up to see where he was and was startled by a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and swallowed as he turned around.

"Uncle Jake, you're here." Emma whispered with excitement.

Jed sighed in relief. "For a minute I thought I was a goner." He gave his son a quick hug. "Ok now that you are here I can go inside and settle this. He wants me I know it. I can exchange my life for theirs. Go, take Emma to safety."

"Dad, this is Roy we are dealing with and he has magic. He's cunning, narcissistic and wants to show off his intelligence, he wants an audience to tell his story to."

Jed nodded. "Alright son, what's your plan?"


	19. Chapter 19

Jake led them to the Ferrari where Ezekiel was waiting. "Hi Ezekiel." Emma greeted. He and Jake looked at each other surprised that she recognized him. "How do you…"

"Hey, let's get back to the plan." Jed interrupted.

"The plan is for you two to go to the Library with Ezekiel." Jake took the shot gun from his father.

"Are you crazy?" Jed protested. "You think you can talk some sense into him? I know Roy, there is no reasoning with him. He means to destroy our family."

"Dad we don't have time to argue, and someone needs to take care of Emma in case..." He didn't finish the sentence, but Jed understood and nodded. He helped his granddaughter in the car.

"So what's your plan mate?" Ezekiel whispered to Jake.

"I'll figure it out. Just get them to safety."

Jed embraced his son before getting in. "Be careful, tormenting us as kids brought him the most pleasure. He is good at finding weakness and Cassandra is in there." He warned.

"I will Dad. Thanks." He tapped on the side of the car and they were soon out of sight.

Forty-five minutes later they were in front of the door. "Hurry you have ten seconds." Jenkins was waving for them to come. Emma went through first, Ezekiel then ushered Jed in. He started to walk in but suddenly turned and pushed the younger man through, ignoring the shouting as he turned back to the car. He watched as the light around the door disappeared before he sped off.

"I have to go after him." Ezekiel reached for the cables.

"No, Let him go, he will be alright. Help me finish gathering a few things Flynn asked me to get. We are going to have a major cleanup once this is over." Jenkins put a tiny gold box in a backpack and looked around the room to find the next object.

"Aren't Flynn and Col. Baird coming?"

"Unfortunately their case has them a bit detained." He responded as he placed another item in the pack.

"Mr. Jenkins, don't you remember me?" Emma looked up at him.

Jenkins turned to her and managed a weak smile. "How nice to see you again." He tried to sound cheerful, but his worried look gave him away.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked.

"No of course not. It's just that I am trying to figure out how you remember us. When you were last here we had to erase your memory of the Library and our identities to protect it and you but it seems you were able to resist the magic as well."

"Oh that's easy to explain." She said. "I wrote myself a letter to remind me about the Library. I overheard you and my uncle Jake talking about erasing my memories of this place and Flynn, Col. Baird, you and Ezekiel. I felt sad 'cause I didn't want to forget, so I got some paper and wrote down as much as I could. When I came home, I didn't remember anything about the Library, but when I found this letter in my pocket and read it, I knew it must have been true."

She pulled out some heavily creased papers from her school bag and showed it to them. The first page was neatly written telling her future self to believe what she was writing. The last two were increasingly sloppy, an obvious attempt to cram in as much information as she could without being caught. Jenkins and Ezekiel chuckled at the pictures she drew of them with arrows pointing to their names.

"Interesting." Jenkins muttered as he read her account.

"And you haven't told anyone else?" Ezekiel asked.

"Nope. I said in the letter to myself that it was important to keep the secret, so I didn't tell anyone."

Jenkins let out a relieved chortle. It still didn't answer how Roy was able to remember but at least he was reassured that the memory erasing water was still powerful. "You are an amazing young lady." Jenkins picked her up and hugged her. He'd only known her for a few hours the first time they met but he grew quite fond of her in that brief time and also felt a bit of sadness when her memory of him had to be erased.

"Mr. Jenkins will Uncle Jake be ok taking care of Roy? He froze my mom and my uncle Wyatt." A tear fell down her cheek.

"Everything will be fine. If your uncle Jake is anything like you, he doesn't stand a chance. And as soon as we get everything we need we are going to help him."

* * *

The Stone children jumped as they heard the door crash open. "Jake, I thought you were smarter than that, I'm disappointed in you." He grinned as he watched his nephew come in with a shot gun pointed to his head. He dangled the key closer to the baby in his arms.

"Jake no!" Libby pleaded. "He's got Elizabeth."

He put down the gun and held his hands up. "Ok Roy, you win, now let them go, they haven't done anything to you."

"Where is that coward of a brother of mine?"

"He's safe with Emma."

"Ah Emma, she's a lot like you and me isn't she. I'd like to meet her again, brave one she is, unlike you."

"What do you mean she is like you and Jake?" Billy asked.

"Didn't your brother tell you? He is a genius like your daughter, like me. IQ of 190."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Libby looked hurt, she was the one who Jake trusted with his secrets or at least she thought.

"Because he is a coward just like his father, my dear. You think being a Librarian makes you special, but you are still that scared boy with a secret. Afraid that everyone will call you a sissy for being smart for liking art and culture. You still can't bring yourself to let your family know, you have a gift and never use it, while I my gift has been squandered all these years rotting in that prison."

"Don't listen to him Jake." Cassandra urged him.

"Check him." Roy ordered Josh.

"For what?"

"Anything unusual." Josh frisked his brother and found nothing.

Jake pulled up a chair. "You're right, I guess that makes you the best of the three of us. So how were you able to sneak magic past us?"

Roy tucked the key away and began his story with delight. "Genghis Khan was a master of the false retreat. He let his enemies think they had won the battle and as they declared victory and claimed the spoils, another army was hiding, waiting. When the 'victors' were least expecting it, Khan's army would attack and slaughter their enemy."

Travis started to shake with fear and began to cry. Roy took out the key and touched him. "I don't like interruptions." He glared at his terrified audience.

"I have been subjected to every form of mind altering experiments and techniques known to man and through out the years I have been able to defeat all of the them and keep my mind intact. You think some magical water was enough to take away my memory?" Roy laughed. "When Dulaque found me, he placed a disc on my neck to control my thoughts and actions. He took me to a building in Portland and proceeded to tell me his plan of how he was going to use me to rule the world."

"And you didn't resist." Jake said.

"I went along with it to learn all I could. He told me about my lovely family here before me. He brought me to this very house to get Emma."

"You had my daughter! You son of a…" Billy got up ready to strike, Roy pulled out the key. Libby and Josh pulled him back down before he could freeze him.

Libby looked at her brother. "You should have warned us about all of this, but you left us defenseless. Why? To keep a secret? We are your family, we would have understood Jake."

Jake bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I thought we had it under control, I never thought he would escape."

"He's right." Cassandra agreed. "The water from the Sea of Lost Memories is powerful magic. It should have taken away all his memories."

"And yet I was able to fight it." Roy grinned victoriously. "Now where did I leave off? Oh yes, at the Library. When Col. Baird and the Asian fellow took me back to Three Lakes they forgot to take this with them." He pulled out a clear disc from his pocket.

"I used this to control my guards Earl and Luis. I sent Earl to find the building Dulaque took me to. It was abandoned but there were a few magical items left there; one of them was this key. I practiced freezing and unfreezing them until I could control it and they never remembered a thing."

"So why all the elaborate gestures?" You could have gotten your revenge a long time ago." Jake pointed out.

"But what fun would that be for me? Besides I don't want revenge."

"So what do you want then?" Josh asked.

"I want my life back and you my dear nephew will be the lucky one to take my place."


	20. Chapter 20

"How?" Josh gasped. "We don't even look alike and I'm a lot younger than you."

"Like I said, I found quite a few magical items." He took out a two headed coin. "Take this or I will break your precious little niece's neck and I don't need anything magical to do that."

"Please don't do this." Libby cried softly, trying to stop her body from shaking. Shannon joined her, begging for Roy to let him go.

_"A man's greatest work is to break his enemies, to drive them before him, to take from them all the things that have been theirs, to hear the weeping of those who cherished them."_ Roy looked at Jake. "Genghis Khan said that and it has been my dream to find what my brother cherishes most and take it away from him, like he took my freedom from me."

He turned back to Libby. "Oh don't cry my dear, you can visit him at Three Lakes Prison. He'll fit right in, and I will be free to put my talents to good use. Trust me you will be so proud of your new baby brother." Roy lifted her chin and tried to kiss her cheek, but she pulled away from him. He pointed the key at her. "You stupid girl…"

"No! don't." Josh got in front of her to protect her. He hugged his fiancé, Billy and Libby. "I'll be alright." He reached to take the coin. Jake inched close enough to his uncle, pushed his brother out of the way and held out his hand to reveal a small piece of rope.

"I know something about false retreats too." Jake said. In the blink of an eye, the rope grew in size and instantly had Roy ensnared, unable to move. He let our a string of profanities as the tightness of the rope around him made him drop Baby Elizabeth. Libby caught her before she hit the floor.

"It's ok, you're safe now, sweetie." She rocked back and forth to soothe the crying baby now back in her arms, as tears poured down her cheeks.

"That's Will Rogers's lariat. He was really good at rope tricks." Jake informed him as he got close to him and ripped the key off his neck. He unfroze Amy, Travis and Wyatt. The three woke up as if from a deep sleep, not remembering what had happened to them.

His family stood in awe of what they witnessed then gathered around him. "Thank you brother, you took care of us our again." Billy gave Jake a big bear hug.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, just know you can tell us anything, we are your family and we'll always love you." Libby threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Wow! Emma missed all of this, wait 'til we tell her." Shane said to Travis and his cousins.

"Speaking of Emma, we have another genius in the family. Maybe I should get tested I may be one too since it runs in the family." Josh broke the heaviness of the moment with a joke.

"Oh honey, I don't know about that, but I still love you." Shannon retorted as she gave him a tight squeeze, happy that her fiancé was safe. He picked he up and kissed her.

Cassandra watched as Jake and his family reunited, happy for him that he could finally be at peace with them about his true self. Jake smiled as he caught her from the corner of his eye and called her over. She thought she saw a familiar crinkle in his eyes and she longed for him to take her in his arms and tell her he loved her again. She smiled as she walked over only to have it fizzle as he became serious, giving her instructions.

"Cassie take them to my dad's. Make sure they are alright." He put the key in his pocket.

"Are you sure you will be ok with him?" She asked trying to mask her disappointment.

"I'll be fine." He dialed the phone. "Go on." He walked away from her when he heard Jenkins on the line. "I have Roy tied up and I'm bringing him back with me."

"We were just coming to you, but that's even better. What we have to do to neutralize him is best done here and it won't be pretty. Hurry back the people at Three Lakes are still frozen and once we get the key we can free them and set things right." Jenkins replied.

Jake walked with Cassandra to Billy's truck. "They are going to have a lot of questions for you. Good thing they won't remember anything since we are going to have to erase their memories again."

"You sure you want to do that?" She asked before she got in, noting the look of hesitation on his face.

No he wasn't sure but that's the way it had to be. The less they knew the safer for them, he reasoned and though he loved his family dearly, he was not used to trusting them entirely, at least not yet. Besides, he could picture his family asking him to use magic to help them solve their problems, especially Josh. This was how it had to be; it was for the best.

Once they were gone Jake went inside to find his uncle on the floor squirming to get free. "It's only going to get tighter the more you move, so I suggest you stop." He stood him up led him outside and watched as Roy shuffled ahead of him. He went to open the door and as Roy approached, the rope got caught on a fallen tree branch on the ground. It snapped and as magically as it wrapped around him, it unwrapped and turned back into the small piece of rope it started out as.

He took the rope and threw it at Jake, but he saw what was happening and ducked before it could bind him. It shrunk back to its original form, and both men dove furiously for it. Roy pinned Jake on the ground, pelting him with his fists.

Jake was able to block his punches and pushed him off. He got up and lunged at him, his head butting him in the stomach. The two men fell and began rolling it the dirt each swinging wildly at the other locked in a fight to the death.

Roy caught a glimpse of it and grabbed it. He opened his hand and the rope now tied itself around Jake and tightened as he tried to get free. Roy ran into the house and got the shot gun.

He aimed the gun at his head. "Roy!" Jed appeared from the back of the house a shotgun pointed at his brother.

Roy laughed at him. "You wouldn't dare, you don't have the guts, you couldn't stop me from killing Baxter. You are nothing but a coward." Jed's eyes widened and his body went limp. He remembered that horrible day when he caught his brother in the back yard stringing his beloved dog up to a tree branch. He could have saved him but overwhelming fear made him turn away. The shrieks of his dog being tortured to death rang in his ears. He felt sick, hung his head and loosened the grip on his gun. "I thought so." He turned to face his nephew and started to pull the trigger. "Goodbye Jake." He grinned. A loud shot went off and sent him crashing on the ground. Roy gasped for air, the shot hit him in the back. Jed ran over to them.

"I always carry a spare son." He said in a monotone voice. He helped his son out of his restraint and they turned the injured man over.

Roy laughed and spat out some blood. "Good shot brother." He said with his last breath.

Father and son embraced wiping away tears. "I wasn't about to let him kill my boy." Jed kissed his son.

"Thanks Dad, I knew you wouldn't. Now help me with him we have to take him to the Library. We need to find a way to revive him." Jake replied.

"What are you talking about?" Jed scratched his head. "He got what he deserved, a man like him is best off dead. Who knows what craziness he was planning to inflict on us and everyone around him. And you want to save him?"

"You're right but how are we going to explain how he got here? There is no explanation and we can't say it was magic, they'll lock us up in Three Lakes."

Jed nodded and the two put Roy's body in the truck. They carried him to the door and put him on the table in the main room in the Library.

Jenkins examined the body. "Well he is certainly dead, that's for sure."

"Is there something to bring him back? Jake asked.

"There is no magic that can bring back the dead, but…" Jenkins ran to his workroom, and retrieved a bottle with blue liquid in it. "This will mask the wound. We'll take him back and place him back in his cell. It'll look like he died of a heart attack. Come on Mr. Jones, I'll need your help." He brought out a wheelchair from the closet and they put Roy's body in it. He took the key from Jake and set the door for Montana. "See you in an hour or so. And may I remind you, you have some cleaning up of your own to do." He pointed to his father and Emma who was walking in from another room.

Jed looked around at the odd place where his son worked, a far cry from the oil fields he was used to. "So this is where you work and save the world."

"This is it." Jake replied.

"If only your mom could see you now, she'd be so proud. I know I am."


	21. Chapter 21

"Grandpa!" Jed scooped up his granddaughter and gave her a tight squeeze. "Did you get Roy? Is my mom ok?"

"Your mother and everyone else is fine and you don't have to worry about Roy. He won't be bothering us ever again." Jake answered and gave her a kiss. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes but…" Emma pouted. "Can't we show Grandpa around a bit before we go?" Emma was excited to show him all the treasures the Library held. Jake reluctantly agreed and became their tour guide as they walked up and down the rows of bookcases and looking at the various displays.

"You are quite the expert son." Jed looked around marveling at his son's knowledge of the artifacts and the artwork that adorned the walls. Jake could sense the pride his father felt and it felt good to finally be able to share this part of his life with him. It was something he never imagined would happen. They reached an area only meant for Librarians and Jake led them back to the main room, to the door and then home.

The ride home was unusually quiet. They were about ten minutes from Jed's house when Emma said what they were all thinking. "You're going to erase our memories of the Library aren't you?"

Jake's frown gave them their answer. Jed nodded and looked out the window, Emma's eyes watered as the thought of forgetting Mr. Jenkins, Ezekiel and the rest of the team overwhelmed her. "But I don't want to forget. I love it there."

"It's not so easy Monkey. The Library has to be kept secret so that we can do our work. If everyone knew the power of real magic then things would become more chaotic than they already are. You've seen what power in the wrong hands can do and if anyone who wanted that power knew that you know about the Library, your lives will always be in danger." He bit his lip and avoided looking at them. He parked the truck in front of Jed's house.

He helped Emma out and she clung to her grandfather, her grief evident by her sobbing and shaking. Amy came running out and took her daughter embracing and kissing and her as she took her inside the house.

"I know it's for the best son, but something as grand and wonderful as the Library and what you do there is hard let go of. Promise me you will take care of yourself."

"I will." He saw the love in his father's eyes and it shook him to the core of his soul. He grabbed on to his father and let his emotions for him pour out for the first time in a very long time. "I love you Dad." He cried over and over as he tightened his hold over him.

"I love you too son. You do what you need to do." Jed patted his son and whispered in his ear to soothe him. "Shhh… it's alright, it's alright. Come on, they need to see the strong Jacob Stone right now. They're going to bombard you with all kinds of questions you know."

Jake let go and wiped his face. He straightened his shirt, ran his fingers through his hair and walked inside. Just as Jed predicted they had a ton of questions for him and he took his time to answer them all. Cassandra came from the kitchen with celebratory drinks for all of them. She winked to Jake as they each took a cup. He watched as they took their sips.

"You have about a minute to erase their memories. Do you have your story straight?" Cassandra asked.

"Yeah I do." He said in a sad voice and began.

"None of you will remember any of what happened today. It was a normal day like always…" His voice trailed off. "I can't do it Cassie. Maybe I'm being selfish but my dad finally understands me, he accepts me for who I am. I like having him back."

"I know." She put her hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Mr. Jenkins and Flynn would mind if you make one tiny exception."

He walked over to his father, his eyes staring vacantly in space waiting for instructions. "Except you, I don't want you to forget, but it's our secret ok?" Jed blinked back. He then went over to Emma and held her hand. "And you too. It's our secret, yours, Grandpa's and mine." She smiled and blinked.

He motioned for Cassandra to join him at the front door. "Give us two minutes to leave, then you will all wake up. You all came over to see how Emma is feeling and Amy is about to get dinner ready for everyone. No better yet, Josh is going to treat you all to a night out." He finished his memory wipe.

Jed took Emma's hand as they got ready to go to dinner. At the restaurant they smiled and lifted their glasses to make a quiet toast to each other. "To Jake." He whispered. "To Uncle Jake." She replied. "And please Lord, keep him and the others safe."

"You're terrible you know that? Poor Josh." Cassandra teased as they drove away.

"Yup." He smirked, proud of himself. They were soon at the door to the Library.

"Hey," Jake took her hand. "Thanks for your help." He gave her peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you were there with me again."

"You…You're very welcome." She felt the heat rising in her face and avoided looking directly at him.

Jenkins and Ezekiel were back from their errand at the prison. "I trust that you took care of things on your end." Jenkins took the bottle of water from Cassandra and put it away.

"My dad and Emma still know." Jake said and winced, waiting for the lecture from Jenkins. It didn't come.

He opened his eyes. "You're ok with that?"

"The Library is. I noticed three sheets were pulled from the clippings book. They match the edges of the paper she used to write the letter to herself. If the Library didn't want her to know, the words on the page would have simply disappeared. She is meant to know and it's good that your father knows too so she has someone to share her memories with." Jenkins explained. He had some flowers with him and started to hum softly as he arranged them in a bouquet.

"So I guess everything's ok at the prison?" Jake asked Ezekiel as he and Cassandra watched Jenkins with curious looks.

"Oh, sure we cleaned it all up. No one is the wiser." Ezekiel answered.

"What's up with Mr. Jenkins?" Cassandra asked.

"He's got a date with certain Dr. Page."

"Myrna? You asked her on a date?" Jake grinned. "Good for you Jenkins."

Jenkins finished his bouquet and gave them a wide smile.

"Goodnight to you all, and don't wait up."


	22. Chapter 22

As quickly as Jenkins left, Flynn and Col. Baird were back from their mission in Canada. In there possession was an oddly shaped box with many sides on it.

"So that's the famous wishing box." Ezekiel said reaching for it. "Let's see, what can I wish for?"

"No, no, no. No wishing unless you want to live with the consequences. This needs to be under lock and key." Flynn placed it in a cabinet and turned the key.

"What's wrong with a wishing box?" Cassandra asked.

"In theory nothing but this one was made by a man named Baldassare Tolino in the late 1800's. His great grandson found it in a trunk of things in his attic. It seems Mr. Tolino was a clown in a circus in Italy and was known to be quite the joker. When you open the box, it tells you a wish has been granted."

"So what's the problem?" Ezekiel kept gazing at the box, thinking of the wishes he had for it.

"The box doesn't grant your wishes, it grants it's own." Col. Baird informed them. "Depending on the side you touch or the combination of sides, you can either get a good wish or a totally bizarre one."

"It gave his wife a fur coat, but their son grew an elephant's trunk. It took a bit of delicate handling to reverse that one." Flynn said.

Jake saw the look of disgust on Baird's face and chuckled. "I take it you were on the receiving end of a bad one. What was it Baird?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She stormed off to her room.

The trio looked at Flynn. "I really shouldn't, it's a bit embarrassing." He laughed as he remembered. "Alright if you insist. But don't tell her I said anything."

"We promise." They responded, anxious to hear his story.

"When the grandson gave Eve the box, curiosity got the best of her and she opened it. Her message was that she would soon rise to the top."

"That doesn't sound so bad, top in her field, top in her abilities..." Cassandra mused out loud.

"Yes but the next day she found herself at the top of Silvertip Mountain. In her underwear. Took me two days to find her and bring her back. Good thing the weather was unusually warm for those two days." Flynn explained.

"Poor Col. Baird." " Yes, poor Col. Baird." they said as they tried to hold their laughter. When she walked back in the room, their stifled chuckles turned to boisterous laughter at their guardian's bad luck. Her angry glare sent them scurrying off in different directions.

"I still hear you!" she shouted to them. She grabbed Flynn by the collar and pinned him up against the wall. "I thought this was supposed to be our secret." She growled.

"I…it kind of spilled out. I'm sorry Eve." Flynn had the look of a sad puppy with his pouty lips and pleading eyes. Her steely face softened as she started to giggle and then laugh at her latest predicament. "Alright, fine. Let's just forget about the whole thing please."

"I'll try, but you did look quite sexy in that black camisole and those little green camo shorts." He said with a mischievous wink as he took her in his arms.

Later that day the team reunited to review the happenings with Roy, the statue phenomenon, and Jake's family especially his allowing Emma and Jed keep their memories of it all.

"So Roy was able to resist the magic of the disc Dulaque placed on him, and the water from the Sea of Lost Memories. Impressive." Flynn thought. "I hate to say this but it is a good thing he is dead. You did make sure of it?" Jake nodded.

"And you retrieved all the magical items he had in his possession?" Col. Baird asked.

"Jenkins and I went back to the building where Dulaque took Roy and got what was left." Ezekiel told her. "We also went to the guards houses and took everything they had as well. He used the disc to control them and get the items. That's how he was able to stay locked up and still set his plan in motion."

"As far as your niece taking pages from the clippings book and writing on them, that is even more impressive." Flynn went to the clippings book and found the spot where she ripped them out.

"You do realize you endangered their lives by letting them remember." Baird warned Jake.

"I know but my sister Libby said something to me when Roy had us hostage. She said that by not warning them I left them defenseless. I couldn't leave them again without someone knowing the truth and I trust my dad and my niece to keep our secret."

Flynn rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Stone ordinarily I would say that it was a bad call but in this case I agree with you. "The fact that the clippings book allowed her to pull from its pages and keep what she wrote tells me one thing…we have a future Librarian in our midst."

"Emma?" Jake was incredulous. "Jenkins only said the Library allowed her to remember. He didn't say she would become a Librarian." He wasn't sure he liked the idea of his niece joining their ranks and putting her life at risk. "The Library wouldn't invite an eight year old girl would it?"

"No of course not, but I predict she will grow up to be an exceptional young lady. And with her grandfather as her guardian on the outside she will be more than ready to step into the role when she is called. I only hope to be around to help guide her when she does receive her invitation." He patted Jake on the shoulder and they left him to his thoughts.

Cassandra stayed behind and watched as he processed the information. "Emma is an extraordinary child, she could well be the best Librarian ever."

"She's only eight and her future is already planned. She should be free to make her own choice to be a doctor, a teacher, a writer or a ballerina even." Jake worried.

"Who's to say she won't do any of those things? You should be proud, the Library only chooses the most gifted among us and it when it chooses her, she will be even more ready than we were to face the challenges."

"You're right Cassie. I'm just being a nervous uncle I guess." Jake picked up his phone and quickly dialed it.

"Who are you calling?"

"My dad. I want him to sign her up for martial arts training as soon as possible. After all no time like the present to get prepared."


	23. Chapter 23

The next few weeks flew by as the team quickly put Roy out of their minds and focused on other missions. Jake was on the phone almost daily with his father reviewing Emma's progress. Cassandra felt good to be part of the team again joining Ezekiel and Flynn on a mission while Col. Baird and Jake went off to tend to another one. One night she and Ezekiel went for a quiet dinner at a local diner while Flynn plotted their next move and promised to join them soon.

"So you and Jake, it's really over?" he asked remembering what Jake told him in India.

"I suppose it is. I mean our relationship has gotten a lot better and we are great friends, but things just didn't work in our favor." She didn't want to go into detail about her calculations. "That's too bad, I really thought you two had something special." He empathized. "Maybe it's for the best, workplace romances are hard and in our line of work even more so. I mean look at Flynn and Baird."

"Yeah, you are right." She nodded trying to sound brave, but inside she felt a part of her dying.

Flynn came in a few minutes later and she set aside her thoughts about him to focus on the task at hand. A day later they finished their mission and went back to the Library having restored the small town of Merry, Rhode Island back to normal.

It was late when they returned and exhausted from their latest adventure, Cassandra went straight to her room and into her bed. She felt chilly and pulled the covers up to her chin. As she slept she felt the warmth of Jake's arms holding her. She murmured in delight and turned to face him, but woke up to find herself alone. "I'm so sorry Jake." She cried into her pillow realizing how much she missed him. She wished she could go back in time and fix everything, she even thought about using one of the magical artifacts to change things back, but it wouldn't be real, she would only have what she created, not his true heart.

Early the next morning she got up and saw him in the courtyard through her window. He was sitting on the bench, a steaming mug in his hand, watching the rhythmic patterns the water made as it flowed from the fountain. She got dressed and met him outside.

"You're up early." She joined him on the bench.

"I just got back." He took a sip of his tea.

"Well that explains your hair being ever more unruly than usual and the two days of growth on your face." She joked.

"Remind me not to team up with Baird alone again please." He groaned then smiled at her. "You look cold." He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She leaned her head under his chin enjoying the touch of his hand running up her arm, feeling his chest rise and fall as he breathed, then cursed her body for betraying her. She needed to remember her boundaries and not allow herself to get close again. She could not hurt him anymore. She turned away from him.

"You ok?" Jake asked. His hand stroked her cheek and turned her back toward him. He studied her face; Cassandra forced herself to look into his eyes. Those beautiful blue gray eyes that once sparkled when she was near and now were stormy and distant. It took all of her strength to force a happy smile.

"Of course. I should let you get some rest." She got up and started toward the main room.

"Cassie wait." She stopped not turning around for fear Jake would see her sadness. One day they would come to a place where they would be at peace knowing their decision to part was for the best, but for now the thought of having him so close and not having his love was almost unbearable.

"Do you think you could help me with something later on?"

"Sure." She tried to keep her voice from quivering. "With what?"

"I'm going on a treasure hunt in the Library. I was hoping you'd join me since you are better than me at reading maps and you have a photographic memory."

"Interesting…Ok, sounds like fun." She turned her head for a second, gave him a quick wave then continued on.

He joined her in the main room five hours later looking well rested and clean shaven with a leather backpack strapped to him. "You look like you're ready for a campout." Cassandra chuckled at his over preparedness since they were only going to be in the Library.

"Well the Library is a pretty big place and I'm not sure where it is and how long it will take. Shall we?" He led her down a corridor, pulled out a map and pointed. "I thought we'd start here, where all the European artifacts are."

"You mind telling me what we are looking for?"

"Sorry, I guess I forget. We are looking for a ship." He turned to the left and found the door marked '1700's'.

"A ship. You mean a replica of one, a picture of one, a ship in a bottle..."

"I mean and actual life sized English ship, from the 1700's."

"Jake, I find it hard to believe that someone would bring an actual ship inside the Library." She gave him a skeptical glance.

"Oh, it's here somewhere, I know it." He began muttering to himself and pulled her farther down the corridor, deep into areas of the Library still unknown to them.

"Do you know where you are going?" she asked after a half hour of opening doors only to have him declare, "Nope not here," every time.

"That's why I have you, to lead us back in case we get lost. You're the one with the photographic memory after all."

It was getting late and Cassandra was becoming a bit annoyed with his endless quest, but he wasn't about to give up. "Come on, just a little bit further. Let's go down here. They turned down a curious little hallway, that looked like a street in Europe with its winding cobblestone path. The smell of the ocean wafted in the air and she thought she could hear seagulls in the distance.

"Jake there is no way anyone could fit a ship down this small space, I think we need to go back."

"Ah ha!" He exclaimed when the hallway ended at a very large door with a white marble carving of a rope around the frame and an intricate painting of a mermaid on it.

"This is it." He giggled like a small child as he turned the dolphin shaped doorknob.


	24. Chapter 24

The door opened to an enormous round room with a full size diorama of the sky and sea painted on the walls. Clouds moved along the night sky and stars began to come out as gentle waves were cresting and breaking. Cassandra rubbed her eyes thinking her mind was playing a trick on her, making her see things that were not there. "Magic Library." Jake whispered in her ear and she sighed in relief. It made sense now. In the middle of the room a massive wooden ship was docked, bobbing slightly as if it were really in the ocean.

"There it is, the _Abercrombie_. I knew it was here." Jake pumped his fist in the air in excitement and took her hand as he led her up the gangplank to board it.

"Well I stand corrected." Cassandra said as she looked at the ship with it's beautiful wooden deck and crisp white sails. Everything was polished and well kept, someone had been taking great care of it. Posted on the mainmast was a carving of a mermaid, the same one painted on the door.

"So what's the story behind it?" she asked.

"Jenkins was a Librarian once and sailed on this ship originally known as the _Forethought_ under the name Abercrombie Jenkins in back in the 1700's."

"You're kidding."

"I'm telling you the truth. I saw a display with his portrait and the story of how he rescued the crew from pirates when I took my nephews to the science museum. The duke who owned it changed its name to honor him." Jake explained.

"I thought that was bad luck." Cassandra said.

"Not for this ship. He pointed to the carving. The magic Jenkins used to save his crew remained here and everyone who sailed with it was always protected from harm." He lit a lantern, covered a barrel with a square cloth he pulled out from his backpack along with a couple of bottles of water, and sandwiches for them to eat. He brought over a couple of crates and motioned for her to sit.

"What is this?" she asked surprised by the impromptu picnic.

"I figured it would take awhile so I threw them in the pack just in case." She was glad that he did since she was feeling a bit hungry. She leaned back after taking her last bite.

"Thank you Jake." She said her hunger satisfied. He nodded as he watched her finish.

"Cassie about your leaving…"

"Jake I know I hurt you and I am so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." She blurted out. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I haven't gotten a chance, and it seems lately there hasn't been any time between missions."

Jake got up and looked around the magical room. He held out his hand and she joined him at the rail. "When I was a boy, landlocked in Oklahoma most of my life, fighting pirates and sailing on a ship like this was one of my fantasies." The smile on his face as he relived that childhood memory faded into a stern look as he addressed her.

"Cassie, you let me down and I admit I was angry at you for leaving. I gave up on us, but I had to remind myself of something and I need to remind you too."

"What is it?" she looked down, afraid of what he would say. It took him a long time to trust her and now she realized he could never trust her again. She lost his love and now she was going to lose his friendship. She braced herself to hear his next words.

"You and me, there is something that connects us. We shared a vision; you came to me and helped me figure out that it was Roy who was behind the frozen people. You risked your life to help my family and I will never forget that." She noticed his crinkly smile again, and she felt faint as if she were in a dream. "I know you feel we are not destined to be together. Your mathematical formulas say so, and the Camope divining necklace told us so, an eagle for you and a wolf for me. Different animals, not a match, but where you see differences, I see similarities."

"I don't understand." Her mind began going over the calculations again, nothing changed; between her brain grape, the dangers of being Librarians, and magical forces keeping them apart their chances of having a happy and successful long-term relationship were still very slim.

"Both the eagle and wolf are similar in that they are, skilled hunters, very protective of their families. An eagle can spot the tiniest of things high up in the sky whereas a wolf can spot the same on the ground; they complement each other. But do you know the most interesting similarity about them?"

"No." she whispered, barely able to breathe.

"Wolves and eagles mate for life." He said in that soft, gentle voice that could calm her when her brain was going into overload. She felt his lips on hers; every nerve in her body came alive, she was sure she'd wake up and this would all be a dream. "Cassie darlin', the Library, has given me a chance to live out all my childhood fantasies from the stories I've read, see first hand art that I could only ever view from a book, and more importantly help save lives. I couldn't ask for more, but at the end of the day I'm still a country boy with simple dreams. My life will never be complete unless I can share it with someone I love and I want to share the rest of my life with you."

"But…" she tried to reason. He kissed her again. His strong, sure hands pulled her closer, the familiar warmth of his arms wrapping around her steadied her shivering frame. She returned his kiss, enjoying the feel of his lips on her ear, her neck and shoulder, then back to her lips. Hot tears filled her eyes and she clung on to him as if her very life depended on it.

"But how can you be so sure?"

"Jenkins, the very wise man he is told me about a magic that is more powerful than any other. I love you Cassie, I told you I was in this for the long haul and I meant it. That kind of magic can overcome anything. Do you believe it?"

"I want to Jake, I do. I want to have the kind of faith in me that you do."

He wiped her tears away. "Well I have it for both of us and one day soon I know you will too."

She smiled at his confidence then felt her grip on him loosen as the pain in her head made her legs give way. "I got you darlin'". Jake caught her and took her down the stairs to the captain's quarters. He laid her on the bed and held her in his arms rocking her until her pain was relieved. "I want to share my life with you too. I love you…" She mumbled as she drifted off.

Cassandra felt a kiss on her shoulder. She stirred and pulled his arms tighter around her chest. "Good morning sleepy head." He greeted her. "Feeling better?" She nodded and sat up.

"So this wasn't a dream?" She asked looking around the room.

"Better than a dream." He gave her a quick kiss on her lips. "Jenkins called. We have another case, just for you and me this time."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." She followed him topside. The scene had changed to a brilliant sunny day and she closed her eyes as a slight breeze caressed her face, listening to the seagulls in the distance. Jake snuck up behind her and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"You ready to go?" He asked after awhile. Cassandra smiled taking his hand as they made their way back. Whatever mystery and danger awaited them she knew as long as she had him by her side she would be safe knowing their love was the one sure thing she could trust and believe in. This time she would not forget.

Jake looked around one more time before he shut the door. I reckon this would be a good place to hold a wedding he thought to himself. "A very good place indeed." He proclaimed as they journeyed to confront their next adventure.

**The end.**

**Thank you all for reading. Hurray for season two...**


End file.
